Of Dragons and Friends
by StarLion
Summary: Continuation of My Best Friend is a Dragon. Roxas is searching for Axel and the strange Onyx Dragon he met, along with other answers. More old faces from his past show up, not all of them welcome, and one brought along by another wish...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** By popular request, I give you the continuation of My Best Friend is a Dragon, and Roxas's story within.

Just as before, the story follows Roxas but with the sole exception of the very first part, just below. That bit isn't his, but the consequences of it will turn up later on.  
>And now, as usual, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Now go ahead and start reading... I may even have another chapter up soon.<p>

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><p>How long it had been, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that there was something different, something that was there before that wasn't any more. Something that had been a part of him, and wasn't any more.<br>He was fairly certain it was not just a thing, but a person... but there had only been one person like that... and he should still be with him... right?  
>And yet... there had been strange happenings ever since he'd felt this... disappearance. There had been that evening a while back, where a bit of forest he was in had been set alight around him inexplicably, and even harder to explain was how he managed to get out of it without the slightest burn on him.<br>It had happened again much more recently, and with greater intensity. Thankfully he'd been out at sea when that happened and so nothing had been burnt, though he admitted the boat he'd been in hadn't made it through, causing him to have to swim to shore.  
>Something had happened and something else was going on. It was unclear if they were related, but either way, he was going to get to the bottom of it. He glanced up to the skies and saw the familiar sight of a passing Wishing Star. He'd seen one just before the feeling of whatever it was not being there.<br>"I wish I could find the cause of these things," he murmured on seeing it.  
>Wishes are dangerous things. Sometimes they come true unexpectedly. Sometimes they're better left unsaid. Sometimes they're better left unfulfilled.<br>But a wish on a Wishing Star... well, anything could happen then. If one of them heard, the chances were you'd get your wish... but not in the way you expected.  
>The Wishing Star went to work with the wish. It was already handling one wish, watching its recipient search for his friend... what was another wish that would end up coinciding with it?<p>

Roxas woke to the sound of silence. Silence, but for the sounds of normal woodland life keeping its distance from him. Not even the faintest crackle, which told him the small fire he'd made must have burnt itself out. He'd only lit it so he had something to cook on. He could have cooked it himself simply by breathing fire on the food himself, but it would still have taken time, and anyone stumbling over him would have been hard pressed to find a normal explanation.  
>Roxas was a Dragonkin, one of a rare few people with special affinity for Dragons. A passing wish had given him a life of his own, no longer influenced by the old ghosts of Sora's past or the Organization.<br>He'd met old friends and some new ones, found his best friend Axel had come back as one of the Wyvern Dragons, red naturally, and the two had partnered, giving Roxas several Draconic abilities that matched up with Axel's own. Breathing fire was a relatively simple ability in comparison to some of the others, and some he'd already discovered were dependant on how he felt at the time.  
>But the time he'd displayed such abilities was mostly behind him now. With Axel's aid, he driven off the Noble Dragon that had been threatening his new hometown of Dragonbarrow, but as thanks for it Vexen – somewhat ironically, the Commander of the Watch – had attempted to kill him. The resulting actions had seen him all but run out of town, with Axel disappearing completely.<br>No one was stupid enough to actually force him out, but the general attitude toward him had been unfriendly enough that he knew he was no longer welcome there. So he'd stowed his belongings in a hideout in the tunnels beneath the town, packed the necessities and left in search of his best friend, and in search of a mysterious Onyx Dragon that seemed to know so much about him.  
>So far though, he'd found nothing that gave him a trail to follow. He'd followed the well-worn route out of Dragonbarrow and through the forest that would eventually lead to another settlement. All he knew was that Axel had last been seen flying away this way.<br>It had been a week of travel already, but it wasn't any bother. After fashioning himself a crude bow and some basic arrows, he was able to hunt and forage to keep eating, and he was never without the means to light a fire. He tried not to have to light it himself if possible though, but the ability to breath fire was always there to fall back on in a pinch.  
>He rolled out of the thin sheet, picking out a fresh change of clothes for the day. He'd have to find the winding river again if he wanted to keep on having something clean to wear. Usually the path he was following wasn't far from it, but it weaved back and forth so much that he'd once gone for three days before seeing it again.<br>Once dressed, he warily glanced outside the tent at his small camp to ensure it was safe, then built up the fire a little, lighting it with one short breath – it was early, and he was feeling lazy – then while it cooked off the last of the rabbit he'd caught the day before he set about clearing up the camp, making ready to leave.  
>"<em>Where are you, Axel?"<em> Roxas muttered to himself, the Draconic language coming to him naturally. Ever since the meeting with Vexen, it had become the dominant language for him. He tried not to speak in Draconic when others were around, but when alone he didn't bother.  
>When the fire was all that was left of his presence, he turned back to it and retrieved the rabbit. It was hardly the same kind of breakfast he preferred to eat, but he also preferred to eat than go without.<br>Part way through, something rustled nearby, making him pause and look sharply around in the low morning light. Most people would see very little, but being Axel's partner conferred some exceptionally sharp low-light vision, with the added extra that anything alive would show up with an orange corona around it, making targets easy to spot.  
>The woodland life was not as abundant here as it had been last night. His presence had persuaded much of it to move clear of him. Most animal life could tell he was a Dragonkin, and few liked to be around one.<br>Nevertheless, there were patches of orange that showed some were around anyway. A few passing squirrels, or nesting birds. A wolf tackling it's own still-warm breakfast. And one human.  
>The fire was stamped out. Roxas ignored the heat, it wouldn't harm him, not since he'd partnered with Axel. Thankfully that also carried over to anything he was wearing, allowing him to extinguish it without any threat to him.<br>As quietly as he could, he picked up the sword belt that had been leaning against the rucksack containing nearly all of his belongings, a sword already resting in the attached scabbard. He set it in place, all the while watching the human. A cold, thin line made part of the glow disappear. A weapon perhaps.  
>Roxas silently swung the rucksack onto his back, finished the last of his breakfast, then crept back into the forest a ways. The figure seemed to pause for a moment, then turned and reoriented on him. Whoever it was, they knew he was here.<br>He drew the sword slowly to avoid making the steely hiss it would have otherwise made, holding it lightly but ready in one hand as he pulled behind a large tree, peeking out just enough to keep the orange glow in sight.  
>The line of the weapon became nearly vertical, and a second line appeared in it. Some kind of bow. He waited until he judged the figure was about to loose the arrow, then quickly ducked back behind the tree. Another nearby tree sprouted an arrow with a <em>thunk<em>.  
>"Damn," a voice whispered quietly, audible to Roxas only because there was next to no other sound around. Not one he recognised, but it had been nearly five days since he'd last met anyone.<br>A second, brief glance was risked. The figure seemed to be doing something with the bow. By the faint twanging sounds, it sounded like it was being restrung. The comment could have been because of the shot taken, or because the strings had needed attention.  
>He used the distraction to move deeper into the forest, away from the mystery archer and back toward the path he'd been following. He kept a close watch on the archer as he continued quietly along.<br>When he returned to the grey paved path, the only sign of civilization in the woodlands, the archer was no longer visible. He deemed it safe to resheath the sword. Though he knew how to use it, he preferred not to – killing people was not something he liked or wanted to do. Scared off was considerably more preferable than dead.  
>It was hard to say how far he'd come, or how far was left to go. In the life he'd gained here, caused entirely by a single wish he'd made, he'd never left the town of Dragonbarrow before. Since residents were not encouraged to leave the town except in the case of merchant caravans, traders and anyone who worked outside the walls, little emphasis was placed on the world outside Dragonbarrow, and so little was known of it.<br>Roxas found he didn't mind this so much provided he followed the well-maintained route. It would eventually lead him to another settlement sooner or later, and until then the passing merchant caravans coming the other way frequently made excellent guides to part of the route ahead. People on this route always looked out for each other, it seemed. Provided you didn't appear threatening – bearing arms was good sense, wielding them on this route was putting yourself at risk. The caravan guards were known for their policy of not asking questions when it came to such travellers.  
>This early in the morning though, the only one you could reliably depend on was yourself, unless you happened to travel with company. And the only company was his mystery and accuracy-challenged archer he noted, as another nearby tree suddenly grew an arrow.<br>He redrew the sword, taking cover behind another tree. Another quick glance and he determined it was safe to move to another tree, and a pause later showed the figure was still headed toward the first tree.  
>A few more trees later, he'd circled around behind the archer, who was now getting ready to jump out on Roxas was with a thin blue knife, or rather where Roxas had been before his trip around the trees.<br>Roxas once more fought the urge to speak the language of dragons, setting the sword lightly against the archer's neck and quietly growling, "Drop the weapon and turn around slowly."  
>There was some faint surprise when the archer turned out, against Roxas's predictions, not to be male. More of the surprise came when he recognised the face as being one of the people he could barely stand in his previous life.<br>"You won't kill me, Dragonkin," Larxene said. "I know all about you. You don't like to hurt people." Like most others from his previous life, it appeared that Larxene had no memory of him in that life, or of that life itself.  
>"Why are you trying to kill me?"<br>"It's what I was hired to do."  
>"Who by?"<br>"Can't tell you that."  
>"Knock it off."<br>"Can't do that either. I don't stop until the contract is fulfilled."  
>"I hope you're ready to waste the rest of your life trying then – or did they not tell you a Dragonkin is immortal as long as his partner Dragon still lives?"<br>"I'll find a way. You can count on it. I always get the job done."  
>"Is there a problem here?" someone else asked in a strangely urbane manner. Both of them turned toward the nearby path. The speaker was on a caravan designed to be drawn by two horses but was instead being pulled by a strange contraption that looked like it would have been more at home in a metalworker's workshop. Out of the caravan poked a small brass chimney and many other odd things that neither of them could put a name to. In one hand, he held a small metal tube, attached to a longer black tube that went inside the caravan. It was pointed at them.<br>"I was just... explaining to this hired assassin I'd rather she didn't do it," Roxas answered after a moment.  
>"And I told you, I'm going to do it whatever it takes," Larxene replied. The tube was reoriented on her.<br>"Step away from him, ma'am," the stranger said. "I'm not entirely sure what this will do to you, but the chances are it'll hurt."  
>"Don't tell me what to do!" <em>That<em> was the Larxene he remembered.  
>The stranger did something, and the tube fired out... something else, which passed over their heads with a faint <em>whup-whup-whup <em>sound. A tree in the path of the whatever-it-was suddenly sprouted a pair of large round holes, linked by a chain of smaller ones.  
>The two of them stared at this for a few moments, then Roxas prudently stepped away as the stranger added, "The next one will be aimed at you, ma'am. I advise you to leave."<br>"Don't think you've heard the last of me," Larxene threatened him, then headed back into the trees.  
>"Now what's your story, mister?" the stranger asked him then. "Not often anyone sees a lone traveller with nothing but a single bag and a weapon, especially not an ornate one like that."<br>The sword had been given to him by Captain Nielen of Dragonbarrow's town watch. Despite their differences, he hadn't been willing to let Roxas leave without some kind of weapon to protect him, and had made a gift of this sword to him – which he'd been told had belonged to the last human Minister of the town.  
>"I'm just looking for my friend," Roxas shrugged, putting it away again. "All I know is that he came this way, so this is the way I'm going."<br>"Bit strange to see you've not taken another means of travel."  
>"You mean a horse? They don't get along with me. And the caravans leaving Dragonbarrow... well, they shared the views of the residents, and probably wouldn't have taken me with them no matter how much I offered to pay them. Anyway, what about you? And what is that?" he pointed toward the mechanism that replaced the horses, chugging away with its own collection of little hisses and <em>plink<em> sounds and all the others it made.  
>"Ah, that there is what I call the automatic horse! It needs only steam to make it work, and can pull far more than a horse can."<br>"And you?"  
>"You haven't heard of me?"<br>"The forest generally doesn't come with its own newspaper," Roxas answered with a faint smile.  
>"True that. I, dear chap am Professor Gamsworth. Not much of a name I'll admit, and the Professor is entirely self-bestowed. But surely any man who can power anything on steam where others said it was impossible is worthy of such a title?"<br>"I'm guessing something happened that made people think otherwise?"  
>"Right on the mark. It might have had something to do with the town receiving an unexpected shower of pieces of my workshop. I was politely asked to leave at that point, and so here I am. I passed Dragonbarrow just the other day. Would you care to hop up and come along for the ride?"<br>"You don't seem fazed by the fact there's someone hiring people to kill me," Roxas said.  
>"Oh, minor details," Gamsworth brushed it aside airily. "Everyone has a few skeletons in their closet. No doubt one of yours is the reason why."<br>"Heard of the Dragonkin?"  
>"I cherish my ignorance on the matter," Gamsworth grinned back. "Come on. Hop up my boy, and I'll help you find your friend."<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Flightfoot: The explanation has been mentioned before, but if you pay close attention during this chapter you should see the answer to your question.

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><p>As Gamsworth's caravan rumbled along behind his machine, Roxas gave him a cut-down idea of what he was and who Axel was, leaving out a great deal for now because he couldn't be sure how much he could trust this eccentric. And he was eccentric, because he had more money than he knew how to spend, which was why he'd gone in for inventing steam-powered devices.<br>He found the inventor to be very accepting of what he was told, but also seemed to be more perceptive than he looked.  
>"You're not telling me everything, are you my boy?"<br>"No," Roxas admitted. "But we have just met. You can't blame me for being a little careful."  
>"I'd be a fool for doing that. But like I've said before, everyone has their own share of private issues. It's no business of mine poking around in yours, and I appreciate the same in return of course."<br>"Fair's fair. So have you come this way before?"  
>"I never really got out much before," Gamsworth confessed. "Mostly I go wherever the road takes me, and I usually only stop by civilization when I need something. Since I can work as I go along without much complaints from anyone around, it's really not much different to me."<br>"Don't you find it lonely?"  
>"My dear Roxas, when you can get obsessed in your work like I can, having company is a rare luxury to be enjoyed when it comes along, not worried over when it's gone."<br>"_I guess I'm just not used to travelling alone,"_ Roxas mused, absently lapsing into Draconic. He caught Gamsworth's benignly puzzled expression, then realised what he'd done and translated.  
>"Interesting sounding language," he noted afterwards. "Must be hell on the old tongue though."<br>"I wouldn't know. The only times I've spoken it were after I met Axel, and I've never noticed a difference." He glanced up ahead as the forest began to thin around them, opening into a clearing that spread further than they could see. "So soon?" he wondered cryptically.  
>"Ah, what did I tell you? Faster than a horse, and you don't have to worry about what it thinks of you." He leaned forward and patted a bit of the machine affectionately. "We have a while before we get there though. In the meantime, can I offer you some eggs? I have toast too," he added.<br>"What do you find to cook them on?"  
>"Why, the steam engine itself, old boy. It puts out some nice heat, and if we attach <em>this <em>over _here..._" Roxas watched as several more pipes, tubes and other odd looking devices were attached to the main steam engine to provide a small heated grill, on which several slices of bread were placed, followed by some small rings, and finally he cracked open an egg for each ring, filling the air with a sizzle as they cooked.  
>"Neat," he remarked.<br>"Ingenious, if I do say so myself," Gamsworth replied modestly. "There would be more, but I'm afraid I'm rather running low on supplies."  
>"Looks like we found the next town not a moment too soon then."<br>By the time they reached the gates they were both already into their breakfast, feigning – at least Roxas was, anyway – complete unconcern about the strange looks the gate guards were giving Gamsworth's automatic horse machine. He pulled it to a stop just outside, held up one hand while he finished his mouthful then said, "I don't suppose a fine gentlemen like yourself might be able to tell us where we are, could you?"  
>"This is Shadowwyvern Point," one guard answered, eyeing the machine warily. "What's your business here?"<br>"Oh, we're just passing through. Aren't we Roxas?"  
>Roxas nodded assent around some egg, then afterwards, "Although speaking of wyverns-"<br>"Not in this town!" the other guard cut him off quickly, speaking loudly over him. "Talk of such things is strictly forbidden here!"  
>"Uh... okay... what about Dragonkin?" he asked, absently hiding the inside of his left arm. On it were three lines of red scales, normally the only visible evidence of his partnership with Axel.<br>In his bag there was a book that contained all kinds of information on Dragons and related subjects such as the Dragonkin, but even it didn't tell him if all Dragonkin like him had similar marks, or if it changed between them. Keeping them out of sight was probably wise until he could be certain.  
>"All Dragonkin are required to present themselves to the town mayor immediately on arrival and inform him of <em>all<em> the pertinent details of his kinship."  
>"And if they don't, or they happen to delay seeing the mayor?"<br>"The penalty for not reporting a kinship is death," the guard shrugged as if it were normal.  
>"Harsh," Roxas noted, now consciously trying to keep the scales concealed. Packing a longer sleeved shirt seemed like a much better idea now. He'd have to get one at some point, or find something to cover them that could easily be explained away.<br>"Not terribly welcoming to such people, are you?" Gamsworth observed "Mind if I ask just what the cause of all this is?"  
>"You'll have to take that up with the mayor. If either of you are Dragonkin, your first stop should be to see him anyway."<br>"Enjoy your stay in Shadowwyvern Point," the other guard added perfunctorily.  
>"I thought it was just Dragonbarrow that was anti-dragon," Roxas murmured once they had passed. "But here too?"<br>"Not just Dragons either," Gamsworth replied, similarly quiet. "Dragonkin too. I reckon it's probably in our best interests to have you stop by and announce yourself, Roxas."  
>"Definitely. I don't think I'd like to fall foul of their laws." He didn't bother to mention that so long as Axel was also alive, he couldn't die. It was a fact he'd kept completely to himself.<br>Shadowwyvern Point was far from the large city that Dragonbarrow had been. It was not so much a town as it was a combination of logging camp, trader's market, and a mix of just about every kind of woodworking trade there was.  
>Most of the residents seemed incurious about these strangers passing through, but were more interested in Gamsworth's machines. As they passed through, he handed down fresh toast to the more needy looking locals.<br>"I've been in their situation once or twice before," he murmured to Roxas. "I know what it's like, and I know how hungry many of them feel. I might not get out much, but at least I try to give something back."  
>They parked the caravan outside the mayor's residence, where they were assured it and the machines would be watched for them before they headed inside.<br>Though it was not cold, there was a young boy trying to light the fireplace with a flint and tinder, not achieving much. Every time it looked like it had caught, it went out again when he got it close enough to light the fire set in the fireplace.  
>"I'll wait here," Gamsworth told him, nodding toward the slightly older man acting as the mayor's secretary.<br>"What's your business?" he asked Roxas in an officious tone, doing his best to look down his nose at him.  
>"I'm told Dragonkin have to make themselves known to the mayor. So here I am."<br>Some of the sneer fell off his face as this simple statement reached him.  
>"Can you prove your kinship?"<br>Roxas nodded and went to the fireplace. The boy who'd been lighting it edged away from him as he approached, watching warily. Gamsworth on the other hand, leaned closer to see better. All he did was light the fire set in the fireplace with a short breath of fire. It was a simple way to prove it.  
>"Fascinating," Gamsworth murmured, then quickly stepped aside as the boy ran out of the building in terror.<br>Somewhat shaken, the secretary turned to Gamsworth and asked, "What about you? Are you also a Dragonkin?"  
>"Me? Oh, good heavens no. We just happen to be travelling together."<br>"Come with me," he said to Roxas then, and lead him to a door nearby.  
>The room on the other side was richly furnished, and he suspected the polished table was probably made from rare woods. The chairs around it were occupied, but all voices had been silenced when the two of them had entered.<br>"What is it?" the man at the head of the table asked shortly.  
>"We have a Dragonkin," the secretary answered, indicating Roxas. A brief mutter went around the table, and hushed conversations began to break out. The mayor tapped the table to get their attention.<br>"Has he been told?" The secretary shook his head. "Leave him with us."  
>"Mister mayor-" one of those seated began as the muttering began anew.<br>"Enough," he said, not raising his voice to silence them again. A nod to the secretary, and he left them to return to the front desk. "You'll remain here, and remain silent," the mayor told Roxas. "What we discuss is of no concern to you. I will deal with you after our business is concluded here." Roxas almost replied, but the mayor held up a hand and reminded him, "In silence, Dragonkin." He settled for just nodding to show he understood. "Now gentlemen. Where were we?"  
>"Mister mayor, surely you can't expect us to continue our business with one of them present?" one of the seated protested. "Who knows what he might take it into his head to do?"<br>"That is not your concern," the mayor answered coldly. "We will continue our business. How many were lost?"  
>"No losses," one of the older men at the table replied. He looked like he was already dead, or if he wasn't he was doing a fair impression of it with the ashen skin he had. "Though the vessels were reported to be in poor condition."<br>"What of the crews?"  
>"No sign. I've sent a smaller light ship to the other side to alert them, but it won't cross The Abyss for at least two days."<br>"It may not get there," one of the others told them in a worried tone. He was the only one there to wear white.  
>"What do you mean, Edgar?" the mayor asked in a kinder voice.<br>"There are um... concerns being raised. And other things being raised. The Abyss has always been dangerous to cross."  
>"But we put a stop to that."<br>"No mister mayor. We only quietened it for a time."  
>"And now it's becoming... noisy again?"<br>Edgar nodded gravely, "It has been some time since it was made safer... we do not know what has happened in The Abyss in that time. The measures taken last time may no longer be sufficient. There's um... more than that too."  
>"Go on."<br>"I cannot be certain without seeing the vessels, but I believe the..." he paused, glanced to Roxas then at the mayor's sharp cough his gaze snapped back again. "The ah... um..." he faltered.  
>"I believe we understand what you are talking about, Edgar. Please, continue. "They could have ended up in The Abyss. Um. Or, The Abyss may be responsible for it, and taken them back. They were known for being... strongly against what we were doing."<br>The expressions around the table were all concerned now. Whatever they were talking about, it didn't seem like it was a good thing. After Edgar's nervous glance at him, he was certain there were either Dragons or Dragonkin involved in some way.  
>"Can anything be done?" the mayor asked Edgar after a pause.<br>"We could... try what we did last time. But there's no guarantee it'll work, mister mayor. We need to know more about The Abyss and what has been going on there – and more about what happened. The only way to find that out..." Edgar almost looked back to Roxas, but stopped himself before he got that far. "Um, there may be other ways. But they all hold the same risk as the vessels."  
>"Do what you can, Edgar. Gentlemen, lend him whatever aid he needs – this state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue. Thank you for your time."<br>All of them filed out, the Edgar paused at the door.  
>"Mister mayor..."<br>"I understand your concerns, Edgar. But I am not above the law."  
>Edgar said nothing, looking very worried, then at a curt gesture from the mayor he too left.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Roxas remained with the mayor, watching him from the opposite end of the long dark wood conference table.  
>The mayor himself seemed out of place among the finery of the room. The gold edged red carpet, the white fleece rug around the table and chairs, and the chairs, plush, well cushioned with ornate carvings on the wood and similar designs in the back cushion and the arms.<br>By stark contrast, the mayor wore a plain and sleeveless grey shirt. Besides the polished brass cuffs around his wrists and the similar chain of office around his neck, this was all that could be seen.  
>"Be seated," he told Roxas with a nod to the chair opposite him. Though it was still like the others, it lacked any kind of cushioning, the back of it was still adorned with carvings of its own. Clearly whoever took this chair was either unlucky, or not considered deserving of the comforts of the others.<br>"I'm curious," the mayor said after he'd taken the seat. "Of all Dragonkin discovered in Shadowwyvern Point, you are one of only four to make themselves known on arrival. Why take the trouble?"  
>"I was told you'd have me killed if I was discovered."<br>"While that's true, my predecessors have often found that some Dragonkin are unusually hard to kill, and most possess capabilities that make it difficult to keep them captive. However, that particular law was put in place after the local population was overwhelmingly in favour of it."  
>"Why is it even there in the first place?"<br>"The town is not named after a kind of Dragon for nothing, Dragonkin..."  
>"Roxas. And that doesn't answer the question."<br>"Local history tells us that the town once lay in the shadow of a great Wyvern that perched on the mountain to the east of town. The peak of that mountain, the Wyvern's Point, is not secured to the rest of it, and we are told it was carried from volcano to volcano as the hour changed, with the Wyvern always casting the shadow over the town during the hours of daylight."  
>"What happened?"<br>"A Dragonkin appeared in our village one day, asking about our guardian Dragon. All we know is that he went to Wyvern's Point, and even as he returned to the town our Wyvern left the Point and flew south. We sent a messenger to Oldhollow Crags on the cliffline to the south of here, asking them what they saw of this. The reply told us the Wyvern had passed overhead and on over The Abyss."  
>"The Abyss?"<br>"Oldhollow Crags lays on the edge of cliffs that surround this continent. We have little knowledge of what lays beyond the layer of clouds that obscures our view, but we know there is something down there. There are creatures down there we don't even have names for that used to prey on ships of any size that ventured out."  
>"I thought ships..." he trailed off.<br>"Yes. You'd think they sail water, and on some of the larger inland seas they do. But the ingenious people in Oldhollow Crags developed a means to travel the skies in the same way. Up until the time our Wyvern departed, those means were quite unreliable."  
>"What happened to the Dragonkin? The one that made your Wyvern leave?"<br>"We questioned him, but all he would say was that he had freed him. So instead, we launched a joint effort to handle the Abyssal menaces and create a more reliable means of skysailing. We provide the lumber and the woodworkers who construct the vessels, and they provide the means to power them."  
>"Those people who were here earlier. That Edgar particularly. They seemed to have trouble discussing it with me around."<br>"By agreement with those from the Crags, we don't discuss it around outsiders. You'll have to ask them if you want the details. Now before I tell you any more... tell me of your own kinship. Don't hesitate to leave anything out."  
>"I was suspected from birth," Roxas started, though he knew this 'birth' was the one for his life here, not the life he'd had before. "Dragonbarrow has had a long standing dislike for Dragons though, so it was kept from me. I found out by myself when trying to find out how to deal with a Noble Dragon that happened to be both the town's Minister and the one we paid a monthly sacrifice to. I met a red Wyvern that I partnered with-"<br>"Partnered?" the mayor interrupted. "You're a Master then? Not a Jack?" Jacks couldn't partner with Dragons, but could pick up abilities from all kinds of dragons – provided they survived the encounter. Masters on the other hand only had one kind of dragon, and could partner with one of that kind to form an unbreakable bond between them.  
>Roxas nodded, confirming this. "I partnered with the red Wyvern Axel and we got rid of the Noble Dragon. I was forced to leave town though, and gained several more abilities from my partner. During that, he fled Dragonbarrow when others were ordered to kill him... and I've been looking for him ever since."<br>"He didn't stick around to wait for you?"  
>"I don't think he knows I'm still alive actually. The Commander of the Watch used me for crossbow practice, forcing me to take a fall. Between the two, anyone else wouldn't have survived it, or at least not without a lot of injuries."<br>"Ah... I understand. If you can see your way past the harshness of the local law and will assist us with our problem, then I will do what I can to help you in your search."  
>"What do you need me for?"<br>"You are a Dragonkin, Roxas. True, I had been hoping I could find a Jack instead of a Master, but beggars can't be choosers. There are in fact many Dragons in Oldhollow Crags, though we keep it quiet here. Our colleagues there will undoubtedly agree with me that a Dragonkin who is willing to work with us is not an opportunity to pass up."  
>"At the risk of sounding rude, would you get to the point?"<br>"Of course. I want you to take a Wyvern down into The Abyss and find out what lays down there, what has befallen our missing... means of propulsion, and for the first time ever bring us back some cold, hard facts about the Abyssal menaces that lay beneath."  
>"And I'd get?"<br>"I can tell you what I know and suspect about your Wyvern, and I can send word ahead to the Crags to ask them to do the same. I can't speak for them, but I can at least give you hope. Will you work with us?"  
>"I don't see any reason not to help you. What about the locals though? What will they think?"<br>"About you? Why worry? Unless you've told any of them, all they have are suspicions. But if you are discovered, I can't guarantee a warm welcome – after the incident with our own Wyvern, we are probably hardly more friendly than your own people in Dragonbarrow were. I won't let them run you out of town though."  
>Roxas nodded, then almost got up, pausing to glance back.<br>"Go on," the mayor said. "And Roxas... your friend. We saw him flying south, along the same path our own Wyvern took."

Gamsworth was not in the lobby outside when he left, though the boy who'd been trying to light the fire was, this time stood by the desk with a bag over his shoulder. He tried to pretend he couldn't see Roxas pass on his way out.  
>The steam engine was still outside, and a few moments talking to the guards still watching over it told him the eccentric had gone into the markets for supplies, leaving a message asking him to stay with the cart if it wasn't too much bother.<br>Roxas didn't have a problem with this. It gave him the chance to dig out the thick book entitled 'Dragons' that had come from Dragonbarrow's official library. It was frequently the source he turned to whenever he had unanswered questions about Dragons or Dragonkin.  
>This time, the object of his research was himself – or at least, the Master Dragonkin. Specifically, what kind of reaction he could expect from other Wyverns. He already knew he was limited to Wyverns as they were his totem dragon, the only kind he gained anything from. But he'd partnered with Axel, and he'd never looked into any limits that had set upon him.<br>Though the book's chapters were long, after a brief introductory page or sometimes three, they gave list of subtitles within that chapter to break it up, making it much easier to find what he wanted to know.  
>It wasn't hard to find the relevant parts, so he made himself a little more comfortable on the caravan and started to read.<p>

_A Master Dragonkin must naturally give up some part of their affinities when taking on a partner, though these sacrifices are rarely easily apparent, and normal preconceptions do not always apply. Those lucky few who find themselves the partner of one of the rarer metallic Dragons will also find a significant drop in their good relations with the more common coloured Dragons.  
>This is only a basic example however, and as only Wyrms and Noble Dragons may be of the metallic variety, partnered Dragonkin of either are highly uncommon. As the sacrifices made between coloured dragons alone are identical among all kinds of Dragon, we will limit ourselves to such situations and refrain from speculation between coloured and metallic Dragons.<br>While in most other situations one would expect that a partner would gain an affinity for other dragons of the same colour as their own but lose affinities for those opposing that, these assumptions are incorrect.  
>It is true that many Dragons that match will be more willing to deal with such a Dragonkin, but it is not as significant as one would expect. Instead, those Dragons who's colours and related elements share a symbiotic relationship with the partnered ones will be the ones to gain the greater boost. For example, one partnered with a brown Dragon that has the earth itself as its element will find that red Dragons will be the most open to them.<br>The colouration that would be least open to deal with them is not always as easy to guess directly, as one must first know what the favoured Dragon is through the symbiotic relationship noted above. When this has been determined, the opposing element and colour must then be determined. In our example, the opposing element to fire is not ice as some have suggested but water, which of course means the blue Dragons.  
>If we reverse this example to deal with a partnered red Dragon, we find that we must determine the opposing element to the earthen brown Dragons. However, as authors we must regret that we have yet to determine successfully what this is, and so Dragonkin of this partnership must determine the outcomes of it themselves.<br>It is true though that the dragons of opposing elements will suffer a drop in relations, but it should be noted that this effect, like the beneficial elements it does not amount to much. In both cases it is worth noting that when these small effects take place, there are nearly always Dragons who ignore or go against such effects.  
>The same cannot be said of the stronger ones however, as there are enmities beyond the Dragons that no human mind can hope to trace or understand. Some appear at first glance to be due to a simple elemental weakness, such as the black Dragons of darkness and their opposites in the silver Dragons of light, but some few attempts to glean the past of many such conflicts has suggested that in the distant past they coexisted peacefully.<em>

"Your book of Dragons?" Gamsworth asked, towing a wire trolley behind him laden with bags of supplies. Most of the 'supplies' seemed to be for his work rather than them.  
>"I was just looking up a few things. I couldn't even begin to read all of this, so I just dip a cup in and drink a little knowledge whenever I'm feeling curious."<br>"Learn anything interesting?"  
>"From the book or the mayor?" Roxas replied, using a stray sliver of wood to mark the page in the book as he closed it.<br>"The mayor told you something useful? With the attitude the town seems to have, I'm surprised."  
>"Turns out they've got a good reason for that. Anyway, Axel went south. I agreed to help them out, and in exchange they're going to send word ahead to the city there to return the favour."<br>"Southward bound then?"  
>"I don't mind sticking around here if you've got other things to attend to."<br>"I'll be back soon. I saw a few other things in the market I want to have a closer look at."  
>"Take your time," Roxas told him, reopening the book. "I can wait."<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

What Gamsworth was up to was beyond him. He assumed he'd found something interesting to do along the way. Every so often, he'd come back with a few more things to load on, and he'd take a few tools back with him.  
>The book had turned up plenty of suggestions on the Dragons he could expect the least and best reactions from, but even it was mostly guesswork. He wasn't too worried, it seemed like most Dragons wouldn't mind either way.<br>A family walked past the caravan as he thought. Quite a large family, it looked like the grandparents on both sides of the family were there. One of the younger women gave him a look of undisguised hatred, muttering, "Monster," at him under her breath as the group passed.  
>"Now Ellie, there's no call for that," one of the grandparents told her primly as they went out of sight. "He's too young to be the one."<br>"They're all the same," she replied. "You heard what he did to little Timmy in the Mayor's house."  
>"Exaggerations," it was brushed aside. "The Mayor wouldn't stand for that if it had really happened."<br>"The last one of _them_ to show up lost us our Dragon, you told me. What is _he_ going to do?"  
>"<em>Get your Dragon back if I have anything to say about it,"<em> Roxas mused to himself quietly. He absently fanned himself with one hand in the heat of the day, then remembered he didn't have to – among the traits given to him by Axel was the ability to ignore the heat. Cold, on the other hand, would get to him much quicker.  
>As he fanned himself though, the light caught the scales on his arm, catching his attention. They weren't entirely red any more. The tips of the scales nearest his wrist had started to turn a silvery white. Had something happened to Axel, wherever he was?<br>In the blurred reflections the scales gave off, something looked slightly out of place, a dark blur that didn't quite seem to fit. He looked toward where it was being reflected from, seeing a faint shimmering outline above what the locals called the Wyvern's Peak.  
>He'd seen it before – unless he was mistaken, this was the mysterious Onyx Dragon, one of the rarest and most secretive kinds of Dragons. Few knew about the Gemstone Dragons, and fewer still had met them. The Onyx Dragon was of particular interest to him though. It had told him it was watching him, but why?<br>Behind him, various clinks and clanks told him Gamsworth was back and putting his various tools back again.  
>"Well, that should smooth over the uproar you've caused," he said around loading the caravan. "Most of the locals are almost ready to take arms to you themselves old boy."<br>"I'm not surprised. The mayor explained why to me. What did you do for them?"  
>"Oh, I showed them how to make better use of a natural heat vent. They'd been using it to dry out clothes in the communal washing area, but it wasn't really very effective, and hardly big enough for all of them to use. So I built them a little network of pipes that allows them to do the same much easier, then showed them how to make use of the heat to power other things."<br>"Useful. Do you try to do this everywhere you go?"  
>"Never be afraid to give something to people you meet Roxas," he answered sententiously, then in a more normal tone went on, "Besides, it got me some firewood for the steam engine. I prefer coal if I can get it, but as long as it has a good fire built up it'll work all the same."<br>"Don't hesitate to ask me," Roxas said, giving him a hand up.  
>"Oh, I couldn't do that. You see, in the town I came from we had a Dragon. One of the underground ones, can't recall what they're called."<br>"Wyrms," he supplied.  
>"Yeah. Them. Well you've seen how much of my creations work on steam? Most of the town's heating and indeed steam came from that Wyrm. We were using the poor thing, and because it was so useful..." he trailed off.<br>"No one wanted to let it go," he finished for him. "So you don't want to ask me to handle it because it'd feel like using me."  
>Gamsworth nodded, tinkering with the steam engine's controls. "You've hit the nail right on the head. That's why I started on all this. Making our own steam. I imagine had it not been for the slightly explosion my earlier experiments caused, it would have worked quite well on such a large scale."<br>"Interesting. Ever think you'll make it back home?" he asked, taking the small wheel that steered the machine as they lurched into movement with a hiss of steam.  
>"I wouldn't know how to find my way back. I don't really keep track of where I'm going. But if I do end up back there... I'm rather hoping they'll be a little more understanding now I've had time to work on the engines a bit more."<br>"Something to hope for, anyway. Would you say that peak there is fairly near our route?" he asked then, pointing to the Wyvern's Point.  
>"Could be. Can't take you up it though – the engine doesn't handle steep hills too well."<br>"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I'll find a way up."  
>"What's up there?"<br>"A Dragon I want to talk to," Roxas answered, still watching the hazy blur that was the tell-tale sign of a Gemstone Dragon.  
>Little more was said on the way out of the town. Roxas kept watch on the Dragon, ensuring it didn't leave before he reached it and ignoring the hostile glances the locals gave him. Some of the rumours he heard along the way explained the earlier remark directed at him – depending on who you asked, he'd either tried to set the boy on fire, threatened to burn down the residence, or he'd done some kind of damage inside the residence.<br>The sword kept poking him in the ribs, so he removed the belt and set it aside with the rucksack of his belongings. He doubted he'd need it, at least not for a time. He didn't really want to use it.  
>Once they emerged back into the clearing around the town things settled down again and he was able to relax, not having to worry about what the townsfolk might do. It was going to get very tiresome if he had to put up with that every time he went into a new town. It sounded like he wouldn't have the same problem when he reached Oldhollow Crags, at least.<br>Relaxing turned out to be a mistake after they'd entered the forest though. Something bright flashed across in front of them, embedding itself in a tree nearby. It was a long blue dagger with a yellow handle, sparking slightly. The bark around it was starting to smoke and blacken.  
>As he glanced quickly over at it, there was a more fleshy sounding <em>thunk<em> and a sharp pain blossomed in his right shoulder. A second dagger was sticking out from it, identical but without the sparks.  
>He pulled out the dagger, wincing as it caused a second, stronger pain to flourish, then hopped down off the caravan, took it in the other hand and threw it back, pausing only momentarily to catch the faint orange aura of the thrower.<br>The other dagger was well stuck into the tree, so with some care he burnt away some of the bark and wood to get it out, then he almost threw that dagger from the injured shoulder, stopping to grab at it as it flared. After a moment to let it settle, he threw that dagger too from the other shoulder then quickly caught up with Gamsworth's caravan.  
>"Trouble?" he murmured to Roxas from inside the stopped caravan. It may have been covered over with canvas, but inside that was lined with stacks of creations that provided plenty of cover.<br>"Hardly," Roxas replied, trying to ignore the shoulder. "Probably just Larxene again. The one you ran off when we met," he added, seeing Gamsworth's blank smile.  
>"Ah. The young lady with the attitude problem."<br>"I wouldn't say that to her face," he replied as the sound of something hitting the stacks came from the other side. "I think I'm going to have to persuade her to leave me alone again."  
>"Want my help?"<br>"Only if things get a bit hairy," he answered, then slipped away, using the trees as cover again while he looked for the orange blur that would give away her location. She appeared to have the same idea as he had though, and it was hard to get more than a few brief flashes of orange – not much use with the local woodland life also appearing around him.  
>There was a brief, blinding flash and a booming rumble just above him that sounded like thunder up close. A nearby tree snapped and crackled as it burst into flames. Roxas ducked behind a large boulder, cautiously looking for his attacker.<br>After a few moments he spotted her; a thin glow not quite concealed by the tree. Taking care not to make any noises that would reach her, he went from tree to tree again, pausing whenever she started to move.  
>As he grew close, he reached to one side for the sword, then realised with a groan too late it was still on the caravan. He'd have to handle this by less conventional means.<br>Another flash and boom passed not far from his cover. This time he saw it happen as well, recognising lightning. Travelling horizontally instead of straight down though – not normal behaviour. Was this really Larxene, and if it was her, had she kept or gained abilities too?  
>Another cautious glance out confirmed he was closing in on her, confirming it was definitely her. If he could make it through the sparse trees between them without her noticing... a plan formed, but was it too risky?<br>He looked over at the burning tree. It had already snapped, the upper part toppling into other trees. The fire was already spreading up the trunk, and it wouldn't be long before it reached the trees it was leaning on. It'd cause a forest fire if it was left unchecked. There didn't seem to be anything he could do about that though, and one little bit more fire wouldn't make that much difference...  
>Larxene moved to another tree nearby, forcing him to edge around his tree to prevent her from seeing him. When she paused behind her own to wait, he made his move, creeping as close as he could, crouching low and moving slowly and silently. Taking care not to let it crackle, he breathed a flame onto the long cloak she wore, ensured it caught fire, then quickly headed back to the caravan.<br>Another bolt of lightning narrowly missed him along the way and one of her daggers caught him in the back this time. It was wrenched out and thrown back, with little attention paid to this new injury.  
>"Just how fast can this contraption of yours go?" he hissed to Gamsworth as he leaped up onto the caravan.<br>"With a good head of steam behind her, faster than any horse can run, but I can't get the heat up high enough for that."  
>"Leave that to me."<br>"But-"  
>"If we stick around here we'll be in the middle of a forest fire. We have to move, Gamsworth!"<br>The engineer paused for a moment, taking this in, then directed him to the engine's firebox. Roxas took a grip on the outside of the boiler, ignoring heat that would have burned anyone else's hands and waited for the signal from Gamsworth, who connected the water tanks to a larger tank inside the caravan, opened the valve and then let off the brakes.  
>One of Larxene's daggers clanged off the side of the engine after they started moving, narrowly missing his hand. Gamsworth continued to take shelter on the inside, venturing out only if he had to.<br>"I'm opening the throttle wide, Roxas!" he called down. "Get ready to heat her up!"  
>Roxas didn't bother with a reply, opening the door into the firebox. The heat blasted out at him, but it too was ignored. Then Gamsworth signalled to him frantically, and he started breathing his own fire into the firebox.<br>The steam engine rattled loudly, drowning out even the sound of the fire he was breathing, but picked up speed rapidly. Gamsworth abandoned the shelter of the caravan to take the controls, barely getting them around some of the bends in the path.  
>A short and sudden storm of lightning headed their way, missing completely and lighting more trees in the area. This forest fire wasn't going to be kept local for long, it seemed.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

After a time, Roxas built up the fire inside the firebox again, then returned to his place beside Gamsworth. The smoke from the fire behind them was still strong, but they had left the actual fire itself a long way behind.  
>It would devastate the economy of Shadowwyvern Point with it's entirely wood-based trades, at least until the fire was brought under control. If that happened at all, it was hard to see how to stop such a fire now it had started.<br>He had planned to go up to the Wyvern's Point, but in their haste to get away from the fire they'd shot far past it. Going back was out of the question by now. He had little doubt that if the mayor let slip that he had a red dragon as his partner, the blame would be squarely on him.  
>Gamsworth slowed the engine to a walking pace then got down and started to check it over, walking alongside it as he did so. Clearly he wanted to make sure there was no lasting damage done to it by their rapid departure.<br>"I don't think we should push it," he told Roxas seriously when he finally got back up again. "I really want to give it a proper check over, but that means stopping."  
>"What's wrong with that?"<br>"You seemed to be in a bit of a hurry."  
>"To get away from Larxene. I doubt she can keep up with us. Go ahead and stop."<br>Not long after they'd stopped, they both paused at the sound of heavy beating from behind them, looking back down the route. After a few moments, a group of horsemen thundered past at a dead run. Only one held back, the rider reigning in beside them.  
>"You're the Dragonkin, aren't you?" he asked Roxas.<br>"Yes," he answered warily. "I didn't cause the fire, if that's what you're here about."  
>"Then who did?"<br>"Someone who's been hired to try to kill me, and is very determined to achieve that no matter what the cost. Her name's Larxene."  
>The rider didn't seem to accept this, but didn't stick around for long enough to be certain. He wheeled the horse around and headed back the other way.<br>"Was that wise?" Gamsworth asked him.  
>"Which part?"<br>"Admitting what you are."  
>"I doubt it would have made any difference."<br>"He didn't believe you, you know."  
>"Can't be helped. At least we know the truth."<br>Two hours after they finally got back underway again, there was a series of _whoomph_ sounds from above the forest canopy, their sources masked by the same. Not long after that, the heard another repeat, this time headed back the other way – toward Oldhollow Crags, if they were taking the right path.

They were four more days on the road before they finally left the forests to emerge into a rocky region that was downhill all the way. They'd been taking turns, one driving while the other slept so they could keep on going even during the night. Roxas, naturally had taken the night watches.  
>Woken by Gamsworth early in the morning though, he caught sight of Oldhollow Crags on the edge of the cliffs, recalling that he'd seen it on his only flight with Axel. There were three ships moored up in the air there, though one had half of the side missing, and the second was missing the mast and most of the main deck. Only the third was intact, though oddly it didn't just have no mast, it didn't even appear to have a place for one.<br>The city itself seemed to be made of two parts. Between the outer and inner walls were massive collections of low-rise buildings – slums and the less well off, it seemed. But inside the inner walls, which ran right up to the edge of the cliffs, the city appeared entirely made from bright marble. It was a nearly painful contrast at the wall itself, with the distinctions between 'this hovel' and 'that palace' not even needing words to describe. This was a city of two sides, and they weren't even there yet.  
>Along the way down, the intact ship was turned around to face away from the city, then pushed away from the docks.<br>"Roxas, look!" Gamsworth shook him urgently as he started to drift back into sleep again.  
>From long holes in the sides of the ship a pair of pearly white wings spread out. Like a turtle emerging from its shell, the head of a white dragon snaked out from the front of the ship. With a few beats of the massive wings, the ship was away and heading off over the clouds below.<br>"That Dragon had better be doing that willingly," Roxas muttered. "Otherwise I'm going to reconsider helping them."  
>"Don't be too hasty. There may be a good reason."<br>"None that I'll accept. Dragons aren't tools to be used."  
>"Turning into a Dragon's rights activist, are we?"<br>"I'm a Dragonkin, Gamsworth. My best friend and partner is a Dragon, there's a blue Wyrm somewhere around that I owe a favour to, and there's a Noble Dragon who I know is watching me, but I don't know why. Dragons are a part of my life. I can't just stand by and let people mistreat them."  
>"Then why don't we hurry on down so you can see just how willing those dragons are?" he asked, the steam engine giving a brief lurch as he opened the throttle a bit further.<br>"Wake me when we get close," Roxas yawned, leaning back into his doze.

"Roxas."  
>"What now?" he mumbled irritably. It had seemed like only moments before he'd settled back to sleep.<br>"There's someone here to see you."  
>He grumbled a little, then picked his way through the caravan to the front. They much closer to Oldhollow Crags, though still on the way. A white horse was keeping pace with them, trotting nearby, its rider similarly in white.<br>"You're Edgar, aren't you?" Roxas asked after a few moments.  
>"Um. Yes. Is this a bad time?"<br>"No," he yawned, taking a seat. "A couple of hours is really all the sleep I need."  
>"Oh. How do you manage that?" Edgar asked curiously.<br>Roxas sighed. "I mean don't worry about it. I'll catch up on my sleep later. What are you doing here?"  
>"I live here. I was sent to meet you by the harbour master. We were told you were coming."<br>"Right... and why were you sent ahead?"  
>"Um. First I have to assure you that no Dragons are doing this without consent," he answered, sounding as worried as he looked. "The harbour master was very insistent you be told that."<br>"I'll decide that for myself when I see the Dragons in person. What else?"  
>"Well... the Dragons are all out at the moment after an attack of Abyssal creatures. But they'll be back within the hour," he added brightly.<br>"Anything else?" Roxas persisted, suspecting that Edgar's was a mind that was... a little special.  
>He thought for a moment, pulled a bit of paper out of one pocket, then replaced it and said, "We've made arrangements for you to be lodged in the Frostling Hotel, up near the cliffside – <em>very <em>expensive place normally, but you don't have to worry about that – anyway, that's until the Dragons get back, then we'll take you to see the Wyvern we've asked to go with you into the Abyss. She's a young white Wyvern, but she's even managed to outdo some of the Noble Dragons who reluctantly agreed to work with us when it comes to defending us. She's one of the harbour master's favourites. Of course, what's strange about all this is that she claims your name is familiar to her."  
>"What's her name?"<br>"Xion, I'm told."  
>"I don't recall knowing a Xion..." Roxas trailed off. "Unless it was before..."<br>"Before what?" Gamsworth asked curiously.  
>"What? Oh, nothing. Never mind. If I know her, I'm sure I'll remember her after we meet."<p>

Back in Dragonbarrow, Naminé was on her way to her new home. Before he'd left, Roxas had given her the keys to a well-hidden hideout in the tunnels beneath the town. He'd used it as his own private getaway when he wanted time to himself, but had trusted her with it after he'd rescued her from being sacrificed to the black Dragon menacing the town – which had also turned out to be the town's Minister.  
>But now he was gone, it was hers. She hadn't changed it much, though it was hard to find anything you could do when the walls are solid rock and earth. There was some more furniture, and it was now much tidier than Roxas had left it, but otherwise it was nearly identical.<br>Many of the people here held on to their strongly anti-dragon views, and as it was well known she was friends with Roxas, she caught a lot of negativity from the people she met. Going back to school at the end of the summer vacation was not an appealing prospect for her.  
>Despite these reactions, she continued to live her new life here. Like Roxas, she remembered the previous life as well as this one, though it had only come to her after she'd recognised him.<br>As she headed down the steps to the next terrace, she caught sight of a familiar figure, looking lost. Not one that should be here in Dragonbarrow at all. What was he doing here... and would he remember her?


	6. Chapter 6

As they passed through the gates and outer walls into the outer city, it became clear that the distinctions between the two areas were even worse than they'd appeared at a distance. Many of the buildings were little more than hardened mud with a few bits of wood defining them as a door or a window instead of just another hole. The residents were rarely properly clothed, and they all looked dishevelled and starved. They seemed equally attracted to the curious sight of the steam engine, and yet repelled by their passing due to what must have seemed to them like the finery only the rich could afford.  
>Edgar paid all this little attention, instead seeming to be engrossed in a notepad he continually pulled out, checked, wrote something in then put away again only to repeat it moments later. He managed to catch a glance at this notepad, seeing only odd symbols that made no sense to him.<br>By contrast to this obliviousness, Gamsworth looked on at this with extreme disapproval, if not distaste.  
>"Why do they live like this?" he finally asked Edgar.<br>Edgar roused himself from his private world, blinked at them for a moment, then answered, "Um? Who?"  
>"Them," he gestured at a nearby family, which promptly scurried away in fear. "Any of them."<br>"I don't think I understand," Edgar confessed.  
>"You've got the finest looking city I ever saw right there," Gamsworth said, waving a hand vaguely toward the marble walls ahead. "And yet most of your people seem to live here with barely anything at all, not even the bare necessities."<br>"Yes. And?"  
>Gamsworth was lost for words.<br>"Why not do something to help them?" Roxas asked Edgar. "So they don't have to live like that."  
>"All they have to do is get a job," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.<br>"So why haven't they? Shortage of jobs going, is there?"  
>"Oh no. There's always jobs available. People are always saying they're making vacancies for new people."<br>"So why is so much of the city still given over to people who are only marginally better than the homeless?"  
>"I don't know. They're not my people. I just live here."<br>He shared a look of disbelief with Gamsworth, then noticed an elderly man trying to light a small fire without much success.  
>"I'll be right back," he murmured, then jumped down and headed for the old man, who looked up at him, afraid. "Don't be alarmed," Roxas told him gently, crouching low. "Let me help."<br>"Help?" the old man croaked warily.  
>Roxas nodded, "Watch," then lit the fire for him in one short breath. The old man's eyes lit up in wonder and almost shone with gratitude. He couldn't seem to find the words to convey his thoughts, so Roxas just smiled, lay a hand on one shoulder to reassure him, then headed back to rejoin Gamsworth and Edgar with the old man. A fair number of the other locals looking after him in awe, the word 'Dragonkin' being whispered, passed around between them.<br>It seemed to spread quickly through them until it had even made it past them. The repelling force of their appearance was overcome by people who wanted to see the helpful Dragonkin. The unaccustomed attention made him wary at first, as the last time this many people had an interest in him it was in Dragonbarrow, and it hadn't been a kind interest. That passed and he began to feel increasingly awkward, as if he was some kind of visiting royal or saviour to them.  
>Edgar was totally oblivious to this, and given he was recognised as someone else who lived in the inner city, he was getting a lot of hostile looks. It was possible that the only reason they were leaving Edgar unharmed was because he was travelling with Roxas.<br>Passing through the guarded inner gates to the inner city took only a few moments, and the difference was clear immediately. There was none of the reek that accompanied the outer city, the paths were all well-maintained cobblestones without any litter in sight. The outer city was just plain and worn stone for the main routes, the rest was entirely dirt paths.  
>The buildings were all grand and ornate marble affairs that lent themselves to the impressive right from the first glimpse. No one here looked even remotely like those from the outer city, not even those who appeared to be the servants and staff at the hotels they passed. They were all smartly dressed, snapping to their tasks in moments without hesitation.<br>This changed only once at the large open market they passed through. At first glance, nothing appeared to be any different but for the lack of marble in favour of the quick and easy to assemble wooden stalls scattered around, but one large stall seemed to have more attention than the rest. There appeared to be nothing on sale and no proprietor at first, but after a few moments a line of people were marched out and up onto the stall. Each of them was chained by the ankles and neck to the one behind, wrists shackled together similarly. Many of them looked as if they'd been taken from the outer city, some even looked like they'd just been plucked out and placed in the line up with the chains.  
>"Monstrous," Gamsworth muttered, looking outraged. "Even in Ironbeach we'd never stoop so low as the slave trade."<br>"Ironbeach?" Roxas murmured. "Your hometown?" Gamsworth merely nodded.  
>As the proprietor began to hawk his wares, taking bids for them as though they were anything but human, Edgar appeared to come out of his own world to examine the slaves on sale with interest.<br>"I could use an extra pair of hands around..." he mused out loud, having not noticed Gamsworth's reaction.  
>"Surely you're not considering buying one?" Gamsworth asked, shocked.<br>"Why not?" Edgar replied, unconcerned. "They get a place to stay, treated fairly and looked after, all they have to do is whatever is asked of them. I have two already, though with the recent outbreak of Abyssal activity they're kept very busy. A third would definitely lighten the load a bit more."  
>Roxas placed a hand lightly on his friend's shoulder, giving a warning look. They were not here to get involved in the affairs of the town at all. Once he got the message across, he turned back to Edgar and said, "Where do these slaves come from?"<br>"You'd have to ask the people who sell them," he shrugged. "I don't know myself."  
>"Do you realise some of them look a lot like the people who live in the outer city?"<br>Edgar squinted at them for a moment, then looked back to the gates behind them.  
>"They do rather, don't they? I'm sure it's just a coincidence though. It's completely illegal to make someone a slave here. Of course, if they're already a slave when they get here, it doesn't matter much either way."<br>"What would happen if it was discovered someone out there had been made a slave?"  
>"Really, I don't know. Please, slaves are not my area of interest. They exist here, and they're useful, but that's all I can tell you." He stopped, listening to a bid being placed, then continued, "Do excuse me though. I believe I'm going to make an offer for one of them before it gets out of my range. Just keep on going, the Frostling Hotel is the last one on the left, just beside the cliffs. You can't miss it."<br>Then he rode off toward the rapidly growing crowds. As they exited the market area, his voice was heard calling, "Eighteen-hundred for the third one!"  
>"I can't believe this place," Gamsworth muttered. "It looks so civilized here, but the conditions outside and those slaves... it's like different sides of a coin."<br>"Places are like people," Roxas told him. "They all have their share of skeletons in the closet."  
>"Bloody big closet if you ask me. Something ought to be done about it."<br>"That's not why either of us are here and you know it."  
>"Speak for yourself."<br>"Think about it seriously for a few moments, Gamsworth. Just what could you do?"  
>Gamsworth thought on it, rubbing his temples as he did so. Roxas slowed them slightly, noticing they didn't have far left to go.<br>"Steamworks," Gamsworth announced finally.  
>"Beg pardon?"<br>"A city like this... this part of it at least must be heavily taxing on water, and be trouble to heat. Still using oil lamps on the streets, you see? But if I could set up enough steamworks here to power it, I could give them easy access to water both hot and cold, provide power so the lights would never need any oil again to burn, and the whole thing would provide hundreds of jobs. Thousands, probably. All I'd need are the resources and planning permission."  
>Roxas stared at him for a few moments, then sighed, "At least it's better than going on some kind of righteous crusade. Looks like we're here. Wonder if the sign was based off a real Frostling," he added, pointing up at it as the engine was stopped.<br>"Probably not. I recall hearing once they were just a myth. Mind you, I also remember hearing that Dragons were myths, but that was back in Ironbeach. Apparently people thought I might get the idea to do something stupid about them."  
>"Like try to free them?"<br>"Something like that. Think we should wait for Edgar?"  
>"No, we should check in. If this place is even half as expensive as he made it out to be, I'm fully expecting everything to be made of gold."<br>"That would be impractical," Gamsworth pointed out. "It's too soft for that. You know, I wonder if the fellows here would let me park this in the stables."  
>Roxas leaned over to one of the liveried servants that had hurried down when the pulled up and had been patiently waiting for them.<br>"I don't suppose you know, do you?" he asked the servent.  
>"I... don't know sir," he replied, taken off guard by the sudden question. "I could ask the stable master."<br>"Would you be so kind? We'll just wait here."  
>"Of course sir." With a bob of his head, he scurried away to the rear of the massive building.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

The hotel had not been made of gold, though it was clearly used in many parts. Like the outside of the building, the inside was also impressive. Red carpets, a rarity and highly expensive even in Dragonbarrow, seemed to define the paths that people should travel on, other parts in a deep royal blue that the servants kept to unless they had to cross the red. Everything was kept pristinely spotless, the counters and surfaces polished almost to a mirror shine.  
>As Roxas and Gamsworth entered, the staff at the main reception desk gave them very brief disapproving looks before they were all smiles again. Behind them, several servants were carrying Gamsworth's belongings. Roxas had insisted on taking his one rucksack himself.<br>"Better you handle this," Gamsworth murmured to him as they approached. "It's probably in your name anyway."  
>"Good morning sir," the receptionist greeted him. "Welcome to the Hotel Frostling. How may we help you?"<br>"I think I have a reservation," Roxas answered. "Or at least, that's what I'm told."  
>"And in who's name is the reservation?"<br>"Mine, probably. Dragonkin Roxas," he added, tossing it out as if it were an afterthought.  
>The effect was astonishing. One of the servants behind them dropped the bag he was carrying, and another that was carrying a platter up the nearby staircase seemed to grow so nervous the contents of the platter began to rattle. The small chatter of guests in the lobby broke off as the words 'Dragonkin Roxas' were said, with the eyes of all turning to him. Once the rattling platter had left earshot, there were only a few moments silence before hushed conversation resumed, the few words he caught suggesting he was now the topic of choice. Roxas tried not to show he'd noticed any of this.<br>The two receptionists were the only ones who managed to prevent themselves from showing any clear reaction, continuing to smile at him as if it had never been said.  
>"I do believe we have a reservation for you, Dragonkin," she told him, this time with far more respect. "Please wait here for just a few moments. The Manager will be with you shortly."<br>"The Manager?" he asked the remaining receptionist as the first left.  
>"It is customary for him to escort guests of such importance himself," he explained. "He asked to be informed the moment you entered. We were told you were travelling with another, and so did not realise it was you at first. Please do forgive us."<br>"Uh... of course," he answered, unaccustomed to this kind of treatment.  
>"Master Roxas," the hotel's Manager called to him, a tall man in a neat suit. "Welcome to our humble hotel. I trust you find our service acceptable?" he asked, then without pause to allow him to reply he went on, "The Monarch's Suite awaits you. Please allow me to show you the way."<br>"Monarch's Suite?" he asked as they began to scale the staircase.  
>"Indeed, Master Roxas. It was originally intended to be for visiting royalty, but we soon realised that we have no such royalty to visit and thus it became our most prestigious suite in the hotel, and indeed the city. Though it has seen a great many notable guests, it has never been graced by the presence of a Master before. We are most honoured to at last provide for one at long last."<br>The Manager went on about a few of the previous occupants of the suite as they went on through the hotel, mentioning each with a slight disdain that indicated he considered them all beneath Roxas in importance.  
>The suite commandeered the entire cliffside end of the top floor, with its own banquet hall, bedrooms for at least a small army, presumably for the servants of said visiting guests if they had any, an audience chamber and a bath that was better described as a pool.<br>As with the rest of the hotel, the red carpets were in abundance here too, the same royal blue around the edges of the room and the various ornaments of the room. The walls were a pristine white, broken only by periodic symbols that appeared to have been engraved into the walls, the engraved parts then inlaid with gold.  
>Roxas recognised the symbols. Every kind of Nobody had a mark like it somewhere on them. The Organization had adopted it as their own emblem. He waited until the Manager had finished explaining that the servants would always be on hand should he require them to ask.<br>"The symbols, Master?" he asked, faintly puzzled. "They have been a part of the suite since creation. I understand the hotel's owner incorporated them into the design of the entire suite."  
>"Where can I find him? The owner, I mean?"<br>"Alas, the owner crossed The Abyss before the trouble broke out, and has been unreachable ever since. We of course hope he makes his return to us safely."  
>"What's his name?"<br>"Zexion, Master Roxas. Is there anything else I can do for you?"  
>"Thanks all the same, but I think we'll be alright now."<br>"Very good, Master," he replied with a bow, backing out of the room.  
>"Are you alright, Roxas?" Gamsworth asked him. "You look like you've seen a ghost."<br>"I've seen the symbols before, that's all. They meant something different at the time. It just... stirred a few memories."  
>Gamsworth nodded, understanding. "If you don't mind, I think I'm going to ask around and see if I can find out a few things for the steamworks."<br>"You're set on that, aren't you?"  
>"It could be a big project. I even came up with a way to help those poor slaves."<br>"Do I want to hear it?"  
>"Oh, it's quite simple. The only part I don't like is that I'm going to have to buy them."<br>"Then what?"  
>"Then I'll free them. They'll become properly paid workers."<br>"Problem I see with that is each one you free is one less job that goes to one of those in the outer city," Roxas pointed out.  
>"I hate to put anything before those kind of people, but the slaves deserve to be freed. Anyway, a project like this... there'd be so many people needed that I'd probably end up leaving no slaves for anyone else to buy, which means more get freed. And I'm sure I'll be able to come up with other projects with even more jobs too."<br>"Why don't you just settle down and live here then?"  
>"I don't know how much it'll cost yet," he admitted. "And I need resources. But it can't hurt to have a look around, right?"<br>"Go ahead," Roxas replied, handing him one of the keys for the suite. "It's not like there's anything else to do."

While Gamsworth had been out, he'd taken advantage of the massive baths to have a proper wash. It had been some time since he'd had the opportunity – making use of a river was hardly adequate. It had been enough while he was travelling, but a place like this almost seemed to demand nothing more than being perfectly clean.  
>A few of the hotel's servants had been sent running after he'd dried himself off, some to get him something to eat – nothing too ornate, he'd insisted – and a few others to handle some laundry for him.<br>Now dressed once more in his usual outfit, the same one he'd worn back in Twilight Town so long ago now, he stared out of the windows of the audience chamber and over the cliffs. The clouds were thick, blocking any view of what lay beneath. Their bright whiteness reflected the light back, not quite enough to be blinding but enough that you'd probably get a tan just looking at the view.  
>The light caught the scales on his wrist. More of them had become silvery now, almost reaching a quarter of the way up the scaled part of his arm. As he turned his arm around in the light, the line that marked the end of the red and start of the silver seemed to become a faint yellow, turning around almost like a compass point centred on the actual line. The book had yielded nothing about either of these strange effects, mentioning only that a Dragonkin's scales were like a representation of their partnered Dragon. So what was happening to Axel?<br>He glanced up as something cut off some of the reflected light, seeing the ship from earlier coming back in, leaving a gentle wake in the clouds. The white Dragon that had been powering the ship appeared to be unharmed, but the ship itself was not just deserted, it had taken some damage. There were gouges in the railings that lined the size, the ship's wheel had been torn nearly fully out, and much of the main deck was missing, revealing a part of the Dragon's back. There were scorch marks along some parts of it.  
>Close behind it, several more white Dragons shot out of the cloudbanks. There were a few Noble Dragons among them, but most of them were Wyverns. None of them were supporting a ship like the first was, but none of them ascended to the same height as the ship, dipping down and seeming to vanish into the cliffside below. Tunnels beneath Oldhollow Crags as well? Perhaps that was how it had gained the name.<br>There was a polite knock at the door.  
>"Come on in," he called, watching as the Dragon allowed dock hands to use it's wings to board the ship. Once enough were aboard, it withdrew the wings so it could be moored up.<br>"Master Roxas, there is a mister Edgar to see you," a voice told him. Probably one of the servants.  
>"About time. Tell him to come on in."<br>"Very good Master." The door clicked quietly shut.  
>Once the ship was safely tied up, the dock hands went below deck. A few moments later, the bottom of the ship seemed to unfold outwards, allowing the Dragon to duck out and join its fellow Dragons. It was a fair surprise to find it had been a Noble Dragon.<br>"Oh," Edgar said as he entered. "I guess you already know then."  
>"About the Dragons returning, you mean? I just saw them come in."<br>"I thought so. Is your friend alright, by the way? He seemed a little upset earlier."  
>"He has some views about slavery. So do I, but it's not my business to get involved in things like that. At least not while there's other things to do."<br>"It's normal for here. Why can't he accept that?"  
>"Have you ever been a slave, Edgar? Or thought about what it's like in their place?"<br>"No, but why would I want to?"  
>"So you can understand why they don't like it, and why he's trying to come up with some way of doing something about it."<br>"Oh dear. I do hope he doesn't get in any trouble." Edgar joined him at the window in time to see the moored up ship rock slightly. "Oh yes," he said. "The crew sent a messenger pidgin ahead to let us know. They managed to capture one of the Abyssal creatures. Unfortunately it also appears we've lost another crew. At least this time the Dragon returned safely."  
>"What about the creature?"<br>"I dare say they'll make attempts to put it with the few others we've managed to capture. They're very strange creatures. None of them appear to be able to talk, and none of them seem to require any sustenance. We'd study them to find out why, but every time someone gets close to them, they try to attack. It's most puzzling."  
>"Do you suppose I could get a look at them before we go to see... what was her name again?"<br>"Xion? Of course. But what of your friend?"  
>"He's got one of the keys to the suite," Roxas shrugged. "I imagine he'll get back at some point."<br>"Won't he be worried about you?" Edgar asked.  
>Roxas just laughed, "I'm a Dragonkin, Edgar. The only time anyone needs to worry about me is if they've gotten on my bad side."<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Word had apparently spread through the inner city just as quickly as it had the outer, and Roxas once more found himself the center of attention. At least here in the inner city it was easier to handle. Conversations broke off as he and Edgar passed, some were hastily interrupted by one to point him out, changing the subject to various rumours about him. He wondered how some of them had been started, as all he'd done so far was come into the city and take a room.  
>But they all kept their distance, not intruding on him as they went along the cliffside paths and the harbour. The piers jutting out into the air were supported by a complex lattice of more wood that anchored them safely to the cliffside below. No doubt more than a few lives had been lost in constructing them.<br>A wooden crate bound by heavy metal straps was being pushed up the last of the harbour's piers and onto street itself, a task made considerably more difficult by the contents shaking it around. This must be the creature that had been captured.  
>The crate had been tied onto a sled to ease the task of getting it around, but with the weight and the creature's antics inside, the dock hands were having trouble getting it up the last slope and onto solid ground. It would have been made easier had they been able to get around the crate to pull it up, but the size left no room for this.<br>Roxas took a hand in it himself then, taking firm hold of the sled and giving a mighty heave, ignoring the apparently increased efforts to escape inside the crate. Evidently whatever it was knew he was there.  
>Edgar let the surprised dock hands know what was going on from wall along the cliffside, while a small crowd gathered to watch him at work. Roxas was oblivious to all this, pulling hard again, then one more time to pull it at last up and onto the street. The creature inside sounded as if it was getting desperate to escape by now, but the sounds of that were drowned out by a brief round of applause from the unexpected audience. The applause was cut off sharply when the crate suddenly sprouted four red claws, accompanied by the sound of splintering wood. They were uncomfortably close to his head.<br>Roxas looked warily upwards to see the claws seem to struggle slightly just above his head. A second set of four claws made a new series of holes, not far away. There were a series of clattering sounds from inside and something thudding against the wood, then with a few squeaks both sets of claws were withdrawn. There was a loud clatter from inside the crate that sounded like something falling down.  
>The claws and the clattering were suspiciously familiar. Roxas hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. He wasn't equipped to handle it any more. Not unless his Draconic abilities counted.<br>A pair of ox were brought up and hitched to the sled to haul it along. He briefly considered stepping on, but decided against it – those claws looked sharp.  
>Even with the oxen straining to pull the sled it made slow enough progress that it was possible to walk alongside it.<br>"Edgar, what do you know about these creatures?" he asked, keeping a wary eye on the crate.  
>"Very little, I'm afraid. No two of them have appeared alike so far, though we have only three in captivity. Four now, with the inclusion of this one. The only similarities are their hostility to us, although when the white one was introduced it was strangely hostile to both of the others, and they were the same in return. We took a considerable risk just to shift the white one to a separate cell so they wouldn't kill each other."<br>"White? With a symbol on it somewhere? Like the ones on the walls, back in the hotel?"  
>Edgar was surprised. "How did you know?"<br>"I think I know what they are. I want to see it to be sure though."  
>Nobodies. Or a Nobody, at least. What were they doing here?<p>

Naminé poured out two glasses of fresh orange juice, handing one to the boy she'd met the previous day. He'd taken the same chair Roxas always took in the hideout. It was strange, seeing him there knowing the connection between them.  
>"So what are you doing here?" he asked her.<br>"I live here now," Naminé answered. "Dragonbarrow is my home, and this hideout... it was given to me."  
>"Who by?"<br>What would be the harm in telling him?  
>"Roxas. Before he had to leave," she added, a faint resentful edge in her voice. "When the others discovered what he was." She saw the question forming, so continued, "He stopped the town having to pay a sacrifice to a Dragon, the whole reason the town has such a bad reaction to Dragons. Except in doing it, he revealed himself to be a Dragonkin – someone with a special connection to Dragons."<br>"So they made him leave because of that. That's harsh."  
>"He left by his own choice," she corrected him. "He didn't want to put up with the attitude he was getting, so left town looking for the Dragon that worked with him. All I know is that he went south. I wish he didn't have to go, but he was right... it wouldn't have turned out well if he'd stayed."<br>"I didn't hear anything against Dragons while I was outside."  
>"You wouldn't have. It's been a taboo subject for generations – ever since we accepted we had to pay the monthly sacrifice. Even though the Dragon is gone, its influence is still strong in the town."<br>"Why didn't Roxas stay? They'd have to change then, right?"  
>"You'd have to persuade him of that, let alone find him."<br>"If I know Roxas, he'll have left a trail I can follow. Come on – you can come searching with me."  
>"I can't leave," Naminé protested. "People would notice – and the new school season starts soon."<br>"Yeah, but you said you weren't looking forward to that."  
>"That's no reason not to go!"<br>"Suit yourself. I'm going to find him though." He got up to leave, brushing a few stray crumbs of an earlier meal off him.  
>Naminé watched him leave, then after a few moments hesitation opened the door again.<br>"Sora!" she called. Sora paused, glancing back at her.  
>"Don't worry," he replied when he saw she couldn't find the words. "I know. I'll bring him back – him and his pet Dragon."<p>

The crate was pushed up against the open door of a free cell, then the front of it was tugged out the way to release the creature inside. Roxas stood ready to slam the cell door shut the moment it was out.  
>No creature emerged. It seemed entirely focused on the side of the crate facing him, making as many holes as possible.<br>Others pushed poles through various holes it had left, trying to push it out. Eventually, a Soldier Heartless ended up in the cell. Roxas quickly closed the door, then got clear as it made a swipe at him through the bars.  
>In the cell behind him a Shadow Heartless was watching them. There was an empty cell, then beside it was unmistakably a Dusk. The fourth creature he couldn't identify though. It was larger than the Dusk and both the Heartless present, with a large black body. On top of it was a spherical head sporting odd red eyes and two antennae, and not far from it were its arms, thin arms that were much larger at the bunched fists. On it's front was a curious symbol, resembling two crossed axes.<br>"I don't know what that one is," Roxas told Edgar once the Soldier was safely secured. "But the rest I can identify. The white one is a creature called a Nobody, the Dusk variety specifically. That one," he pointed to the Shadow. "Is a Pureblood Heartless, called a Shadow."  
>"Pureblood?" Edgar asked. "And that means?"<br>"They're naturally created from the darkness in everyone," he explained, hoping he remembered correctly. "Our friend busily trying to cut me to ribbons is an Emblem Heartless – notice the emblem on it? This one is a Soldier. I think they're normally only artificially created, but I'm pretty sure I've seen a few that appeared when a Heartless consumed someone's Heart. That's why they all try to attack – they don't have their own Hearts, so they attack those that do." He frowned, then glanced again to the unidentified creature. "Though I can't say for sure about that one. I think it must have a Heart of some kind, otherwise the others wouldn't have gone for it."  
>"Very interesting. Thank you, Roxas. You've given me some new leads I can investigate. Perhaps I can find out why they've become more active of late in The Abyss, and even identify that last one for you."<br>"Just don't let anyone get too close to them, especially the Heartless. If they get their hands on someone, they'll consume their Heart and turn them into another Heartless."  
>"Causing an outbreak of Abyssal activity in the town. I understand. Now, we ought to find Xion. I believe there's an entrance to the tunnels inside this prison. The tunnels are well lit, and a project a while back saw them mapped out and named so they're easy to navigate. We'll find our way to the Wyvern caverns in no time."<br>The prison appeared to be empty other than the creatures on the ground floor. After going down two floors, both lined with empty but apparently well-maintained cells, they emerged into tunnels that bore no toolmarks, much like the ones beneath Dragonbarrow. With their peculiar shape, almost perfectly round except for the flat floor, it was fairly clear that a Wyrm had carved these tunnels.  
>Also like Dragonbarrow's caverns, sounds carried a long way. There were conversations far off, the ones spoken in common not clear enough to make out, but the ones spoken in Draconic were much clearer.<em><br>"... don't see why you didn't freeze it,"_ one voice said._  
>"It was just passing by, it wasn't like it was actually doing any harm," <em>another replied defensively._  
>"Oh yeah?"<em> a third snorted_ "And how long would it have continued to 'just pass by' if he hadn't done it for you, huh? They're all the same, these Abyssal creatures. Let one get away and before long, it would have come back with reinforcements."  
>"They can't even talk – I talked with the Jack, he said they caught a few of them, and none of them can do it. So how could it even tell others to come?"<br>"Stop making excuses and admit it, Kamo. You're a pacifist. You always hate going out on patrol or going after the creatures, you come up with excuses all the time."  
>"I am not!" <em>the one called Kamo spluttered indignantly. Roxas smiled to himself, chuckling.  
>"Something funny?" Edgar asked him, looking puzzled again.<br>"The Dragons," he replied. "Their voices are a bit clearer. I can hear a few of them arguing."  
>"Oh? What over?"<br>"Two of them are talking about a third named Kamo who they think is a pacifist. He never seems to want to hurt the various creatures."  
>"Kamo?" Edgar mused. "Yes, I've heard something along those lines about him. He's a relatively young Noble Dragon, the first to hatch right here in Oldhollow Crags. He very strange, insisting on hanging out with the Wyverns instead of the Noble Dragons, I'm told."<br>"Relatively young?"  
>"In Draconic terms, or at least what we know of them. He's not far from reaching his first century, which we understand for a Noble Dragon is very young."<br>"I wonder-" Roxas started, then shook his head. "Never mind."  
>"You were going to ask to see him, weren't you?"<br>"Maybe later. There's no hurry at all."_  
>"Huh?"<em> a Draconic voice cut over the rest. _"That voice... it sounded like..." _it trailed off.  
>The two of them turned into a large cavern, with an opening on the far side large enough to admit a Dragon. There were many white Wyverns around, each of them in what appeared to be a nest, though made from rocks. Some were talking to each other, others were sleeping. One appeared to be looking at him.<br>A short man dressed similarly to Edgar hurried over to them as they entered.  
>"Edgar," he murmured once close. "We lost a Dragon in the attack."<br>"Which one?"  
>"Rokash. I'm sorry Edgar, I know he was your friend-"<br>"It's alright," Edgar brushed it aside, seemingly without concern. Roxas saw the pain of loss in his eyes though. "He and I both knew it could happen. Anyway." He turned to Roxas and said, "This is our resident Jack, who is also named Jack. Jack... this is Master Roxas."_  
>"Roxas!"<em> the Wyvern watching him exclaimed. _"I knew it!"_


	9. Chapter 9

Both Jack and Roxas had heard and understood the Wyvern's reaction to Roxas's name, and now stood watching as that particular Wyvern picked its way through the rocks of the cavern floor to join them.  
>"Am I missing something?" Edgar asked curiously.<br>"Xion knows Roxas," Jack explained to him. "Or at least has heard of him."  
>"Just heard of me, I expect," Roxas added. "I don't recall knowing any Xion, I'm sure of it."<br>"_You too?"_ Xion said then as her head drew level with the rest of them, the blue eyes looking back at him reminiscent of his own. _"Come on, Roxas, it's me – Xion! We used to eat ice cream with Axel together, remember?"_  
>Jack looked from Xion to Roxas, then back again.<br>"Now I'm the one missing something," he muttered. "A Dragon eating ice cream?"  
>"Long story," Roxas replied, in common so everyone would understand. "I don't know why you remember those things, but I don't recall anything like that."<br>"_Something weird is going on here. Axel didn't remember me either."_  
>"<em>Axel?" <em>Roxas slipped into Draconic without realising because of the surprise. _"You've seen Axel? Where is he?"_  
>"<em>Somewhere on the other side of The Abyss for all I know. He stopped by here about a week ago now, stayed for a day then left again. Said something about his partner being killed."<em>  
>"<em>Did he say what he was doing?"<em>  
>"<em>Just that he wanted to find a Gold Dragon. Kamo told him the few that are still alive live up on Icicle Peak, over on the other side of The Abyss."<em>  
>Roxas was vaguely aware of Jack translating their conversation for Edgar's benefit.<br>"I've heard of Icicle Peak," Edgar interjected. "You'll never survive up there, Roxas. The temperatures are enough to freeze a man alive."  
>"<em>I'm partnered-"<em> he began, concentrated then tried again. "I'm partnered with Ax- I mean a red Dragon. I can hold off the chill for a time with the natural heat that gives me."  
>"Edgar's right," Jack told him, shaking his head. "Even you wouldn't be able to make it to the top of the peak. I hear even the Wyrms can't even get up too far even inside that giant of a mountain."<br>"Unless..." Roxas trailed off, thinking. _"Xion... I know I don't remember you, but will you work with me?"_  
>"<em>What are you planning, Roxas?"<em>  
>"<em>You're a white Wyvern – that means you work with ice-"<em>  
>"<em>And your Totem Dragon is a Wyvern, meaning if we work together you can borrow my resistances. I get it."<em>  
>"<em>Exactly. I can't just ask you to do this for me, but if you'll help me, I'll listen to what you remember – or at least, what you think I've forgotten, and take it with an open mind. You make it sound as if we were friends, so I at least owe it to you to hear you out on it. I know it's not much, but-"<em>  
>"<em>You don't have to ask, Roxas. We'll look for Axel together."<em>  
>"After you've helped us, if you don't mind," Edgar added after Jack's translation.<br>"Right," Roxas agreed. "We've got to investigate The Abyss."  
>Xion nodded to him, then turned her head slightly.<br>"_Ready to go when you are,"_ she told him.  
>"Tell Gamsworth I've gone, will you?" Roxas asked Edgar. "Give him a hand if you can."<br>"Are you sure I should? Is he really doing the right thing here? I mean, he does have those views..."  
>"What he has in mind will benefit a lot of people," he replied, pulling himself up behind Xion's head. "I think it's definitely going to be in everyone's best interests to help him."<br>"I trust you, Roxas – I hope you know what you're doing." Roxas winked back in reply.  
>Like Axel had, there were twin protuberances just behind the head, though much smaller than Axel's had been. They remained large enough to work as handholds though. He found that on direct contact with Xion, he could feel an intense cold trying to seep in through his hands, only to be banished by the similar heat he had from Axel, giving a curious freezing and burning sensation at the same time.<br>"Let's go pay a call on The Abyss," he said at last. Xion leaned back, pushing herself off the rocks even as she twisted to face the cave's exit, wings spreading wide. With only one stroke of the wings they were airborne, and a second saw them past the other curiously watching Wyverns and out into the chill air of The Abyss, just above the cloudscape.  
>The wind whipped at him almost as soon as they'd cleared the cavern, and with it the exuberance he'd last felt when flying with Axel. Nothing quite matched this, flying was the only real way to get around if you had the chance.<br>"_What do you know about The Abyss, Xion?" _he called to her over the rushing wind, not bothering to keep himself from speaking in Draconic. There was no need where both of them understood it.  
>"<em>Not much,"<em> she answered. _"Not many do know much. As far as we know, there's just layers of clouds for a long way down. Always gaps in between without much in, and that's often where we Dragons get attacked by the Abyssal creatures."_  
>"<em>You mean the Heartless and the Nobodies. And that strange other one."<em>  
>"<em>Yeah. Even I don't know what that other kind is. All of them have one thing in common though – they can fly. Even the little harmless Shadows. We don't know how. That's why no crews have been coming back on the bigger ships."<em>  
>"<em>They attack when they're not expecting it. Just the bigger ships?"<em>  
>"<em>They'll go for any ship, but the faster, smaller ones – the Skimmers – they're fairly safe. There's only been one time any of them got aboard a Skimmer, and even then those ships are so small that it was too easy for those on board to fend them off."<em>  
>"<em>The question is, why are they doing it at all? I heard something about putting down a ton of Abyssal activity a while ago or something."<em>  
>"<em>Yeah, about forty years ago, and again another forty before that."<em>  
>"<em>How did they do it?"<br>"The first time, there was a silver Noble Dragon that stopped by in bad shape. The locals nursed him back to health, and in return he made things safe, leaving them a single scale. He told them if it got bad again, they just had to have any dragon breath onto it, and he'd come back and do it again."_  
>"<em>And that's what happened the second time?"<br>"Yeah. But he was very old the first time, and his health wasn't exactly improving the second time. He had to stay with us for a full week before he could make the return journey to where he'd come from. Jack doesn't think it would be kind to call him out a third time."_  
>"<em>Right. Let's see what we can do instead, huh?"<em>  
>"<em>Just like old times,"<em> Xion laughed, dipping her wings to send them diving into the clouds. _"Even if you don't remember. You do remember your old life, right?"  
>"Sure thing. From my first days in the Organization right through to the simulated Twilight Town I lived in before I went back with Sora."<em>  
>"<em>So how did you end up here?"<em>  
>"<em>I've got a sneaking suspicion it's all because of a wish I made, about having my own life again and seeing my friends. I can't really confirm it... at least not unless I can track down a certain Noble Dragon who knows altogether too much for my liking. How about you?"<br>"I don't know. Last thing I remember was meeting you at the top of the clock tower in Twilight Town for a last ice cream before... I don't know, there must be something after that, but I don't remember it. Then I'm here, like this and I can remember an entire life here that extends way back before now, as if it had always been my life."_  
>"<em>That's weird. Axel said something similar when I met him. Have you seen anyone else from our old lives?"<em>  
>"<em>Zexion's the owner of the most expensive hotel in Oldhollow Crags,"<em> she answered, pulling up just slightly in the empty gap below the first thick cloudbank. Their dive had become slightly too steep to be safe with Roxas just behind her head. _"He doesn't remember the old life though. I'm fairly certain I've seen Xigbar too, but I couldn't see him clear enough to be sure. How about you?"  
>"Xaldin's a sergeant in Dragonbarrow's town watch, Vexen's the Commander of the watch there, and Larxene's been hired to kill me. None of them know either."<em>  
>"<em>Dragonbarrow? You mean that place up north that won't talk about Dragons at all?"<em>  
>"<em>Yeah, it's my hometown here. That's where I met Axel too."<em>  
>"<em>Why don't they talk about Dragons, do you know?"<br>"Because they used to have to pay a monthly sacrifice to a Noble Dragon called Maleficent that also turned out to be the town's Minister. Axel and I got rid of her... then Vexen decided to use me for crossbow practice, which I think is why Axel thinks I'm dead. I decided it was a good idea to leave town before the residents tried to finish the job."_  
>"<em>Harsh. Hold on tight, Roxas. If we're going to get down far enough, we'll have to take a far steeper dive, and I don't want to have to pick you up again along the way."<em>  
>He hardly needed telling twice. Their vision became obscured by clouds once more as she dived sharply into the next cloudbank, the wind roaring past them now. The chill of the air started to grow steadily colder, but he didn't actually feel cold at all. Either his partnership with Axel or the benefits Xion was giving him were helping, or perhaps even both.<br>The next open area was larger, but with the depth of their dive even it was only visible for a short time before they were back into the next cloud.  
>"<em>I don't like this, Xion,"<em> he called to her. _"It's too quiet."_  
>"<em>Don't jinx us. The last time I was out on a patrol it was with Kamo. He said that, and the next thing we knew-"<em>  
>"<em>Heartless, to the right!"<em> Roxas exclaimed, seeing the tell-tale yellow eyes through the clouds.  
>"<em>That happened," <em>Xion finished. Her tail whipped out toward the Heartless with a crack, causing several of the eyes to vanish. A short sharp breath of what appeared to be a white cloud began to crystallise in the air, and several more yellow eyes vanished, dropping down out of sight sharply.  
>One got close enough for Roxas to identify it as a Chill Ripper. It made an attempt to slash at him with its icy blades, but he breathed out sharply, creating a short-lived fireball that engulfed it completely, leaving nothing behind.<br>"_I can't see any more. Looks like that was all of them."_  
>"<em>That was just the first wave,"<em> Xion told him. _"A few Emblem Heartless first. They know we're here now. Next we'll get a swarm of Pureblood Heartless, then if we don't take the hint and survive that, the Nobodies start showing up."_  
>"<em>What about the other ones? The unidentified ones?"<em>  
>"<em>They never show up at the same time as the others, but they always bring massive numbers with them. They're just as bad by themselves. If we encounter them, just pray there are others in the region – both Heartless and Nobodies will turn on them in moments to the complete exclusion of everything and everyone else."<em>


	10. Chapter 10

As they progressed deeper down into The Abyss, the light began to fade further and further, cloudbanks seemed to be thicker, and the gaps between them thinner. It was marginally easier to breath, but this was barely noticed as the two of them paid closer attention to their surroundings, looking for any sign of Abyssal activity. Roxas found that despite knowing what all but one of them actually were, the blanket term everyone else had adopted for them came to him just as easily.  
>They emerged into the next open area. Like all the rest this far down clouds both above and below were a murky grey as far as could be seen. This time though, there was a sharper grey just ahead.<br>_"Xion! Watch out!"_ he called._ "That's the other side of The Abyss there!"_  
>Xion quickly banked hard, forcing Roxas to grip with both hands and legs so he wouldn't fall with their sudden turn.<br>_"Thanks Roxas,"_ she called back. _"I guess we've been going straight ahead for too long."_  
><em>"We must have travelled for leagues, both down and across..."<em>  
><em>"Think we'll find anything down there?"<em>  
><em>"That cliffside suggests it. Only one way to find out."<em>  
>Xion dipped down again, taking them into the next cloudbank. As they entered it, he jerked his left hand back with a startled oath as a sharp pain lanced through the scaled part. There seemed to be a faint yellow haze near it.<br>The clouds around them rumbled loudly.  
><em>"Ever flown in a thunderstorm?"<em> Xion asked him, having to roar just to be heard over the crashing of thunder.  
><em>"Not yet!"<em> he yelled back._ "Why, have you?"_  
><em>"Once! And I didn't like it, either!"<em>  
><em>"What should we do?"<em>  
><em>"Your call – we'll be safer in one of the clear areas. We're closer to the one above, but that takes us in the wrong direction."<em>  
><em>"Better safer than hit by lightning. Better to take us up, I think."<em>  
><em>"Have you looked up lately?"<em> Xion asked him as she herself looked up.  
>Roxas looked up.<br>_"Down it is,"_ he answered. A mass of yellow eyes stared back at him. The second wave of Heartless had caught up with them, and it didn't look like they'd hold back on the numbers. The eyes seemed to stretch as far as he could see above him.  
>The thunderstorm grew louder as they went further down, the Heartless seeming to grow closer at the same rate. More and more pairs of eyes were appearing as well, and to make it worse, several more yellow hazes appeared, this time around Xion's scales.<br>He kept his attention on the Heartless, sending periodic fireballs into their midst. Giving them the longer range they needed meant giving them less power and a smaller size, so they had little effect on the Heartless at first. Those that got too close were quickly subjected to more powerful ones instead, eliminating them much quicker. Like all Heartless, they never seemed to learn it was unwise to come too close, and they didn't seem to be concerned about each other. Some attacks came alone, others in small groups, and periodically they'd make one larger effort.  
>Xion seemed able to keep watch behind them just as well as ahead, her tail whipping at any that strayed close to it. It lacked the spiked barbs of a Noble Dragon's tail, but was no less effective without them.<br>Then the lightning struck, momentarily blinding them. There was no doubt it had hit at least him, he could feel that, and that meant it must have hit Xion too. Until his sight cleared again, he couldn't tell for certain.  
>When it did finally clear, they were already in the next clear area at last. It was considerably darker here than in the last, and he was able to see only because of the improved vision he gained from his partner. There was no sign of the Heartless that had been tailing them, no orange glow anywhere that would identify anything alive.<br>_"They must have been destroyed by the lightning,"_ Xion echoed his thoughts.  
><em>"Can you still see alright?"<em>  
><em>"Yeah, I'm fine. I can always see clearly, even in the dark. One of the best parts about being a white Dragon."<em>  
><em>"Neat. Should we continue down then?"<em>  
><em>"With that thunderstorm? That'll spread to the other cloudbanks in no time. We're safer here between them."<em>  
><em>"We can't stay here, Xion."<em>  
><em>"I agree," <em>A third and much deeper voice boomed over a new rumble that seemed to accompany it. _"You've come altogether too far."_  
>Xion turned sharply, then stopped, hovering in the air. Ahead of them was undoubtedly a Noble Dragon, seemingly surrounded by lightning. It was hard to see the scales clearly even through the gaps in the lightning, the only clearly visible part being the orange eyes that seemed focused on him.<br>_"A yellow Dragon!"_ Xion identified it for him_._  
><em>"That's not all,"<em> Roxas added. _"Look behind the head."_  
>Untouched by the lightning and with a vicious expression, Larxene sat with one hand keeping hold of her own Dragon.<br>_"Weren't expecting this, were you Roxas?"_ she called to him.  
><em>"You're a Dragonkin too?"<em>  
><em>"God you're dense. Of course I'm a Dragonkin, and this here is my partner."<em>  
><em>"I can't stand up to a partnered Noble Dragon, Roxas,"<em> Xion warned. _"Especially not a yellow Dragon!"_  
>Roxas hesitated. There had to be some way out of this. He looked around, as if there would be something that would give him an answer, even though he knew there wouldn't be anything there. Nothing but them, clouds, the slightly more distant cliffs, and a faint shimmering outline.<br>A shimmering outline. A thought occurred to him. It couldn't hurt... and it might help confirm a suspicion about the Onyx Dragon, especially if that distant outline was that Dragon.  
><em>"I wish we had the help we need to handle this,"<em> he said, not raising his voice. Xion heard it, looking to him curiously.  
><em>"What's wrong, Roxas?"<em> Larxene's dragon asked. _"Too afraid? You took out Maleficent, but you can't take out us?"_  
><em>"They can't take you out!"<em> yet another new voice called. It sounded young, young but very annoyed. Like a little kid standing up to a bully without any care for himself. Four pairs of eyes scanned the area, looking for the source. Eventually, the voice rang out again, _"But I can and I will!"_  
><em>"It can't be..."<em> Xion started, amazement on the edge of her voice.  
>Then a white Noble Dragon, barely larger than Xion was, shot out of the clouds above, a mass of white breath preceding it, crystallizing anything in its path. Larxene's dragon looked up a moment too late, and got blasted in the face. As the new Dragon broke off to avoid a collision, its tail slammed into the top of the yellow Dragon's head. The spikes on its tail were not as long or sharp as the older, more grown yellow Dragon and they did not appear to pierce the scales, but it was clear it had hurt.<br>Xion took action without bothering to consult Roxas then, diving forward to get moving again, then taking advantage of the newcomer's distraction to fly past, breathing her own icy breath over both Dragon and Larxene alike. The other Dragon followed suit down the other side.  
>The yellow Dragon's lightning flickered then faded, revealing the Noble Dragon underneath. The yellow scales had been frosted white in many places, and it appeared to be clutching at its head with its forelegs, groaning in pain. Larxene appeared to be furious, but couldn't seem to free her hands from their hold on her Dragon, pulling hard on them but achieving nothing.<br>Finally, Xion and the other dragon rose up side by side, then turned sharply and dived back down again, both of them slamming down hard on either side of the yellow Dragon's back. It dropped down quickly with a rapidly retreating screech drowning out Larxene's yelled insults.  
><em>"Thanks," <em>Xion said to the white Noble Dragon. _"But what are you doing here, Kamo?"_  
><em>"Oh... I uh... I couldn't just... let you come down here without some help,"<em> he answered almost shyly.  
><em>"I've got Roxas here, and we've made it this far,"<em> she pointed out, emphasising this by pointing to Roxas with her tail.  
><em>"I know, but... well, no offence to you, Master,"<em> he nodded to Roxas before continuing, _"But he's kinda small compared to us... and you can't say I didn't help. Please Xion? I can help out some more, just let me come along with you."_ He was almost pleading with her.  
>Roxas concealed a smile. He had a feeling he knew why Kamo preferred the company of Wyverns now. One Wyvern in particular.<br>Xion sighed, then looked to Roxas.  
><em>"Why are you asking me?"<em> he said. _"I don't mind the company at all."_  
><em>"Alright,"<em> she gave in. _"You can come along with us too."_  
><em>"I brought something else for you too,"<em> Kamo added, talking to Roxas. _"There was this weird Dragon that stopped by just after you left that told me to come down and help you, and I knew you'd gone with Xion... so I talked with Jack, and he gave this for me."_  
><em>"What is it?"<em> Roxas asked him.  
><em>"I don't know. Jack just said you'd need it."<em> Kamo flew above them for a moment, passing a small bag down to Roxas from one foreleg. He caught it, opening it and glancing inside.  
><em>"Looks like Jack doesn't want me to go hungry,"<em> he laughed. _"What about you two?"_  
><em>"I dunno about Xion, but I ate just before I left."<em>  
><em>"Don't worry about me,"<em> Xion said. _"Anyway, what's this about a weird Dragon?"_  
><em>"It looked like it was a Noble Dragon, but it was all made of Gemstones. The other Wyverns had been asked to go out and protect another ship that's trying to make it to Fardesert Heights, so I was the only one there that saw it. Jack said I must have been seeing things, and all the other Dragons agreed."<em>  
><em>"Gemstones?"<em> Roxas asked. _"Like Onyx?"_  
><em>"I dunno. What does Onyx look like?"<em>  
><em>"I remember learning once they can come in all kinds of colours, but the Gemstone Dragon I saw was definitely a kind of black."<em>  
><em>"Yeah, that's the sorta kind he had. D'ya know him?"<em>  
><em>"We've met. I keep trying to get back to him to talk to him again, except every time I see him something comes up."<em> Even as he said it, he glanced back to where the shimmering outline had been, and saw nothing. It had gone again.


	11. Chapter 11

With the disappearance of Larxene and her Dragon, the thunderstorm had subsided, apparently being caused by the lightning the Dragon had harnessed, allowing them to continue further down into the depths despite growing darkness.  
>Roxas could see in the dark, not as clearly as Xion or Kamo could, but well enough. While he was partnered with Axel and thus unable to partner with any others, he was still capable of gaining some fewer benefits from other Wyverns, and a part of those Xion had granted him took form as another sight improvement. No matter how close they may have been, there was absolutely no way around the one partner rule. He and Axel were partnered until someone managed to kill both of them, or they just grew old together.<br>At times, Kamo flew further ahead, insisting on making sure it was safe for them. Xion started to fill him in on what he'd forgotten during those moments so no one else would end up wondering what they were talking about. It was unlikely that anyone who didn't remember or know would accept the truth in lieu of an explanation, least of all Kamo.  
>What he had apparently forgotten appeared to be any time involving her, as if something had just gone into his memories and removed her and only her. It was difficult to picture the white Wyvern beneath him as the human girl she described herself as.<br>As he listened, Roxas noted that their young Noble Dragon companion went against a lot of the things he knew about them – for example, most Noble Dragons were not as good at manoeuvring as their Wyvern cousins, but Kamo seemed to be able to pull of the same kinds of sharp turns that Xion could without a problem. He didn't appear to subscribe to the natural haughtiness that other Noble Dragons were widely reputed to have, but that may have been because of his young age and his more cosmopolitan Wyvern friends.  
>For all the odd differences though, there were many traits that fit perfectly. Young as he was, he was only slightly larger than Xion, with a wingspan that was not much bigger than Xion's own. Noble Dragons frequently grew much larger than Wyverns, so this was hardly remarkable. In time, he'd become much larger than her.<br>Like other Noble Dragons, his abilities were not as varied as Xion's, but those he did have were more powerful. Or they would eventually be, but again due to his age they had not fully developed yet. He was in many ways equal to Xion because of that.  
>Kamo emerged from the cloudbank below, wings locked in place to glide easily over and join them.<br>_"You're not gonna believe this,"_ he told them.  
><em>"Don't tell me we've reached the bottom already,"<em> Xion replied.  
><em>"Alright,"<em> he answered impudently, even managing the Draconic equivalent of a grin. _"I won't."_  
>They waited.<br>_"Are you serious?"_ Roxas asked after a few moments. _"We're finally there?"_  
><em>"Sure are. Can't say it's much to look at, but we're definitely there. Wouldn't suggest trying to land though,"<em> he added to Xion.  
><em>"Abyssal creatures?"<em> she guessed.  
><em>"Yep. Tons of 'em. But there's a huge gap between the bottom of the clouds and the ground, so we don't gotta worry about them unless they take off."<em>  
><em>"Don't jinx us, Kamo," <em>Xion warned, then they dipped down and into the final cloudbank. It seemed like an eternity later when they emerged into the open air. The ground below was one glowing mass to Roxas. Abyssal creatures showed up green instead of the usual orange living creatures did.  
>They seemed unconcerned by the sight of the two Dragons above, almost marching along the ground in the same direction as they were gliding above. What little landscape was visible beneath them was blighted, blackened rocks where nothing but fungus grew, and even then in ill green colours. The tide of creatures below stomped over them without care for them.<br>After a time, his eyes grew accustomed to the green glows and he was able to identify them. Heartless and Nobodies. There seemed to be no end to the variety in both, with all the kinds of Nobodies he'd heard of represented in the mass below, and at more kinds of Heartless than he'd ever seen before in either of his lives. Some of them looked like even Sora hadn't seen them. They ranged from a few that were even smaller than Shadows, to the towering Darksides and Behemoths. Emblem and Pureblood alike marched onward to whatever goal they had in mind.  
><em>"I'd hate to try to take on this many myself,"<em> Roxas said, awed at the sheer number.  
><em>"You're telling me?"<em> Xion answered fervently. _"I'd hate to do it even _with_ help!"_  
><em>"Don't be worrying about that,"<em> Kamo told her. _"They're more interested in what's up ahead."_  
><em>"Don't suppose you'd care to look for us, would you?"<em> Roxas asked him.  
><em>"Sure thing. Be right back."<em> He dived down low enough to freeze a few Heartless, then pulled up again with more speed behind him.  
><em>"Kamo has a crush on you, you know,"<em> Roxas murmured to Xion as he headed out of sight.  
><em>"You think I haven't noticed?"<em> she replied. _"It'd never work between us though. None of the other Dragons would ever accept it."_  
><em>"That doesn't seem to bother him."<em>  
><em>"And it doesn't me, but I don't really want to lose my friends there. Maybe they are all Wyverns except for Jack, but they're still my friends, and I don't want him to be the reason they all avoid me."<em>  
><em>"The Noble Dragons I could understand," <em>Roxas said. _"But I think the Wyverns might understand, especially if you had me go along with it. Since I'm a Wyvern Master, they should be more inclined to listen to me, right?"_  
><em>"I don't know Roxas, I really don't know. Whatever you do, you've got plenty of time to think on it – I'm not going to tell anyone, and Kamo... well, the others just shrug it off as being close friends. I'll be able to take you to Icicle Peak and back before you have to do anything."<em>  
><em>"I guess. That brings up another question though. Unrelated, except to Icicle Peak, that is."<em>  
><em>"You want to know what things are like on the other side of The Abyss, right?"<br>"Astonishing,"_ Roxas replied with exaggerated surprise. _"How do you manage it?"  
>"It's a gift," <em>she shrugged, a movement that almost dislodged him. Once he'd ensured he had a good grip again, she continued, _"I don't know myself. None of the Wyverns ever get allowed to make the whole crossing. Only the Noble Dragons that support the ships know, and they don't often talk about it."  
>"Inconvenient. I wonder if I could get Jack to have a word with them for me."<br>"Why not ask them yourself?"  
>"Are you kidding me? I can speak your Wyvern dialect of Draconic, and I can understand the Noble dialect, but speak it? Everything I know about it suggests they'd consider it insulting to be addressed in it."<br>"Look at Kamo,"_ she pointed out. _"A fair few of the other Noble Dragons back at the Crags are as open-minded as he as, at least when it comes to getting along. If the worst comes to it, all they'll do is refuse to talk to you."_  
>Roxas grudgingly admitted she had a point, but was prevented from saying so by the return of Kamo. He said nothing, just led them ahead.<br>They flew over the leading edge of the Heartless and Nobodies and over a still blighted but empty landscape. After a long wait, he stopped, hovering in mid-air, then nodded ahead.  
>There was a second hoard of Abyssal creatures, entirely made up of the single unidentified kind. At its head was a human, or at least human-shaped figure, that was leading the hoard. He wore some kind of dark suit, and a reflective helmet that hid his face. In one hand he held a weapon that could have been a keyblade, with blue eyes, chains and gears comprising it. This figure paid them no attention at all, leading the creatures behind as if driven by a single overpowering thought.<em><br>"I think I get it,"_ Roxas mused. _"The Heartless and the Nobodies both desire Hearts, and attack those who have them. Those creatures have Hearts of some kind, so they're targets for attack. I'm guessing that they're too powerful for either Heartless or Nobodies to handle though, so they're attacking people higher up in The Abyss to turn them into more Heartless and Nobodies to supplement their forces."  
>"The question is, who's that guy?"<em> Xion wondered. _"And is he the reason those creatures are too much for the others?"  
>"You're missing a bigger question,"<em> Kamo told them. _"And that is, if we take him out, what'll happen? If he's outta the picture, one side will destroy the other, and they'll stop fighting. So they won't be coming back up The Abyss."  
>"Guess again,"<em> Roxas replied. _"You, me, Xion and everyone in Oldhollow Crags, not to mention any other settlements along the edge of The Abyss – they all have Hearts too. If the Nobodies and Heartless win, they'll turn on them next."  
>"What about these ones then? What if we help them?"<br>"I don't want to risk it. We don't know why they're attacking people crossing The Abyss, or for that matter anything about them."  
>"Why not ask him, Roxas? You're mostly human, if he's as human as he looks, he'll probably deal with you better than us."<br>"I guess you'd rather not mention he probably doesn't understand Draconic,"_ Xion added._  
>"I'll give it a try,"<em> Roxas said dubiously. _"But I'm not optimistic about this. I've got a bad feeling about it."_  
>They flew back a ways so Xion could land without being in danger of either side, then Roxas dropped to the ground. Despite its rocky appearance, it was strangely soft and squidgy, often making rubbery squeaks as he trod on it.<br>When he eventually caught up with the stranger leading the other hoard, the stranger held up his free hand in a fist, causing the creatures behind to stop abruptly. He continued on to meet Roxas.  
>"Who're you?" he asked the stranger.<br>"Don't you remember?" the reply came.  
>"I've never seen you before in my life."<br>The stranger regarded him for a few moments, then tapped the side of his helmet. It retracted, leaving only a kind of metal guard along his jawline. The face in side looked almost exactly like Sora's, except with black hair and orange eyes.  
>Even so, it was similar enough that Roxas mistook him for Sora.<br>"I don't know anyone by that name," the stranger said. "But I do know you, Ventus."  
>"Ventus? What are you talking about, I'm Roxas."<br>The stranger looked puzzled, then said, "It seems we are both the victims of mistaken identity. My name is Vanitas."  
>"Right... introductions over then, what are they?" Roxas asked, pointing to the creatures behind Vanitas.<br>"The Unversed. A handful of fledgling emotions under my control. They gain their name from not being well-versed in their own existance. But we learn. Now tell me something, Roxas... why do you have scales on the inside of your arm, and why in two colours?"  
>Roxas glanced to them a moment himself, noting that nearly half of them were silver now.<br>"They're the permanent mark left on my from my partner Dragon. I don't know why they've split into two colours though. I'm hoping to find him so I can find out the answer myself."  
>"Down here? There are only two Dragons that have been down here. A yellow one, who was quickly engulfed and lost to the other creatures down here, and a black one that hasn't been seen for a while now."<br>"Noble Dragon?" he asked, a nasty suspicion forming. When Vanitas looked puzzled again, he briefly explained the differences between Dragons.  
>"Yes," he said at last. "I believe it was. Is that significant?"<br>"Just allow me one more question, please... those other creatures... I'm guessing when that black Dragon stopped showing up, they grew more aggressive?"  
>"Alright, now it's your turn to answer," Vanitas said, eyes narrowed. "Just how did you know that?"<br>"I think I might be responsible. There was a black Noble Dragon menacing my hometown. Except me and my partner defeated her. She ended up in a volcano, so I'm guessing she was liquidised or something."  
>"And when you defeated her, they stopped answering to her and were able to focus on me. Indeed it would seem you are responsible for this."<br>"Vanitas, what will you do with your... Unversed if you beat them?"  
>"I haven't decided yet," he answered. "I may decide to go hunt you down for causing this."<br>"If it wasn't for me though, you'd never have the chance to overpower them."  
>"True," he conceded. "But if you hadn't defeated the black Dragon, there would never have been any fighting between them or us. Both sides were content to prey on the people above who live too close to the edge of The Abyss."<br>"Whatever happens, I can't let either of you do that. I can't help you, Vanitas, and I'm not going to stand against you either. But I can't say the same for others. Sooner or later, someone's going to try to do something about you all."  
>"Then keep watch, Roxas. I may yet decide to come for you. Unless you want that to be now..." Vanitas trailed off, holding the free hand up again. The Unversed began to march onward again. Roxas prudently hurried back to Xion.<em><br>"Get back up to the Crags,"_ he told her as he got back on. _"Quickly too – we're right in the middle of an impending battle here."_


	12. Chapter 12

The bright light above the clouds of The Abyss seemed almost blinding after having been in the gloom below for so long, but another of Xion's gifts allowed Roxas's eyes to adjust easily to the differing light levels almost instantly.  
>Kamo flew up higher for a moment, then pointed them toward Oldhollow Crags, as their sense of direction had been lost while below.<br>_"Give me a little time to rest when we get back,"_ Xion asked him. _"I'm going to need it if I'm to do another long-haul flight like that."_  
><em>"No problem. It'll give me time to talk to Jack."<em>  
><em>"Why not ask Kamo to talk to the other Noble Dragons for you?"<em>  
><em>"Because I suspect they know he doesn't hold himself aloof from other kinds of Dragons,"<em> Roxas replied. _"And that might have an effect on it. At least Jack we know can get something out of them."_  
><em>"Point taken."<em>  
><em>"Hey, Roxas!"<em> Kamo called down to him. _"Looked at your scales lately?"_  
>He glanced to them. The orange line was not visible any more, but the demarcation between silver and red scales was, and it was clearly moving so less of the scales were silver.<br>_"Xion, try something for me a moment?"_ he asked, not taking his eyes off the scales. _"Turn around and fly the other way? We'll go back to the Crags, I just want to test a theory."_  
><em>"Sure thing," <em>she answered, banking to turn about. As she did so, the orange line appeared, at first along the same line the difference appeared, then it began to turn. It continued to turn as they did, until they were flying the opposite direction when it realigned and disappeared again. The scales stopped changing colour for a moment, then started to steadily become more silver again.  
><em>"That proves that point. We can go back now."<em>  
><em>"Find out anything interesting?"<em> Kamo asked, falling in beside them.  
><em>"Yeah. I think they're reacting to Axel somehow."<em>  
><em>"How's that?"<br>"He's my partner Dragon... that's why I didn't die when Vexen shot me full of crossbow bolts. Except, ever since I left Dragonbarrow, they've started to turn more silver. Just now, when you mentioned it I looked – they were getting less silver. And when we turned around, the reverse happened."_  
><em>"That sounds like some kind of distance thing, telling you how far away from him you are,"<em> Xion remarked.  
><em>"That's not all – I think there's some kind of compass to it as well, pointing which direction. Between it and the scales changing, I think we might be able to track him down without ever having to go to Icicle Peak."<em>  
><em>"Unless he's made it there already,"<em> Kamo pointed out. _"Then you'll need Xion anyway."_  
><em>"Aren't you coming?"<em> Xion asked him.  
><em>"I'd love to join you, but... I'm not up to the distance involved, Xion. I'm already feeling the effects of just this flight. Maybe if I were a bit bigger and a bit older. But you bring Xion back safely, hear?"<em> he told Roxas fiercely. _"Otherwise you're gonna answer to me!"_  
><em>"Don't worry, Kamo. We'll make it back alright. Now I wonder... which of you can get back to the Crags first?"<em>  
><em>"Are you kidding me? I'm exhausted here!"<em>  
><em>"What's wrong, Kamo?"<em> Xion asked slyly. _"Don't think you can keep up with me?"_

The caravan rolled out of the forests and into a massive clearing that had many burnt and charred remains of trees. Where the wind created small eddies in the air, tiny storms made from ashes were raised up.  
>In the distance, some few trees were still burning, either isolated ones that had nothing else to light, or ones that were rapidly being brought to that by teams of lumberjacks hurriedly cutting down trees in an attempt to try and control the last of the fires.<br>Sora looked on from his perch on the top of the caravan. He'd paid for passage in part with his own savings, but mostly by offering to guard them. While there had been little to trouble them here, it had set the organizer's minds at ease knowing that he was willing. A few doubts about being able, but he'd proved them wrong during a bandit attack.  
>The caravan would stop in Shadowwyvern Point, the town just up ahead. He'd have to make new arrangements from there depending on which way Roxas had gone.<br>It wasn't long later when they pulled into the town itself. It seemed to be entirely based around the lumber trades, a series of trades that appeared to be suffering from the effects of the burnt forest surrounding the town.  
>The first order of business here was to settle accounts with the caravan's organizer. Sora jumped down and caught up with the leading caravan, falling into step alongside it.<br>"Where're you headed next?" he asked the main organizer.  
>"Oldhollow Crags," he replied. "Once we've offloaded our cargo here. Will you be joining us again, young master?"<br>"Not sure yet," Sora answered. "I want to have a nose around here first and see if I can find out what's going on. I might stay, or go a different way."  
>"Try to let us know before we leave then. You're welcome to join us again if you're coming the same way."<br>That was some help, at least. If Roxas had gone the same way they were going, then it'd be a lucky break in his favour.  
>He didn't have to go far to find the answers he was looking for. He paid for the local newspaper after seeing the front page's headline on a forest fire. It practically told him everything.<p>

_The nearby woodlands that form the basis of our economy have been ravaged by a forest fire, curtailed only by the swift actions put in place for just such an emergency. It appears that thus far the impact has been relatively minimal given the size and spread of the fire.  
>No cause is known at present, though many suspicions are held of a recent Dragonkin visitor to the town, known only as Roxas. The Mayor has refused to confirm or deny anything except the presence of this Roxas within the town prior to the fire, but many remain sceptical of the views put forward that he was not responsible.<br>The Dragonkin, like all of their kind, are regarded to be highly dangerous and if seen should not be approached without extreme caution. However, reports suggest that we have little to fear from Roxas for now, as he was last seen departing our town southbound for Oldhollow Crags._

Sora didn't bother to read the rest of the article, or the newspaper for that matter. He kept it, in case he got bored on the trip to the Crags, but doubted it would have anything else of interest to him.  
>Now he just had to rejoin the caravan and continue to follow Roxas's trail.<p>

Xion allowed Kamo to enter the Wyvern Caverns first, following not far behind. She paused to allow Roxas to get back to solid ground before returning to her own nest in the cavern.  
>Jack and Edgar were waiting for him, getting up as soon as they recognised the two Dragons coming in.<br>"Did you find out anything?" Edgar asked eagerly.  
>"Yeah, lots," Roxas replied wearily. "About The Abyss, the creatures and why they're acting up. But first, I want to go back to my rooms and rest for a bit. That was a long flight." He held up one hand when they began to protest and continued, "Don't panic, I won't forget to tell you. Just stop by my room..." he paused for a moment. "What time is it now?"<br>"Late evening," Jack supplied.  
>"Right, come by in the morning then. You too Jack, I want to have a word with you as well."<br>"Me?"  
>"I'll explain then. Thanks for the parcel you sent down with Kamo by the way," he added with a yawn. "Now I think I'm going to get some sleep before I see if it's possible to sleep standing up."<br>"I'll show you the way," Edgar offered. "Just in case you get lost."  
>"Didn't you say the tunnels were well-signposted?"<br>"Oh. I guess I forgot about that."  
>Roxas chuckled to himself, then left them. They really had found out a lot, and not just what he'd told them about. He now had a way to find Axel at last. He didn't need to keep stopping in towns and cities to ask if they had seen him, he could just keep on going as long as Xion could keep flying.<br>But that still left questions all the same. Why was Axel going to Icicle Peak? Was it because of the Gold Dragons reputed to live there, and if it was, what did he want with them? He'd have to consult the book of Dragons to be sure, but he was certain there was no note of what their sphere of influence was. Most of the Metallic Dragons were left untouched in that book.  
>And then of course, the Onyx Dragon. Again, he was certain now – it had something to do with his wishes coming true. But why? And why did it only show up when something else was going on, only to disappear again after that distraction had passed?<br>He barely noticed the exit into the softer evening light outside, made brighter than normal by the reflection off the clouds but still fairly dark. He wasn't far from the hotel, at least not if the signposts were anything to go by.  
>The line of thoughts were disturbed by the ringing of a loud bell above the city and a number of cries of alarm. Roxas paused, looking around and listening, then headed to the cliffside. There were Nobodies flocking up out of the clouds toward them.<br>Tired as he was, this wasn't something he could just let slide. He might not have a Keyblade, but he did have his own reserves of fire to call on, let alone all the other traits he'd gained from Axel and Xion too now.  
>The first few waves were dealt with from range, as Dusks were hardly resilient. A few small, longer-ranged fireballs were soon accompanied by archers, and not long after that by some small cannons and a few people wielding curious weapons that looked almost like tiny cannons.<br>As the stronger Nobodies began to approach he had to step up, waiting for them to get closer so he could continue to dish out the most damage, until finally when the Sorcerer Nobodies grew close they all had to start resorting to hand-to-hand combat.  
>The Sorcerer Nobodies did not give in lightly, and Roxas felt irritation start to well up – and with it, the fire inside seemed to roar into life. The scales on his arm began to spread, mirrored and matched on his other arm.<br>Roxas took a few moments to focus, then started landing blow after blow on any Nobody stupid enough to get close to his fists, now engulfed in orange flames by themselves. Many of them gained black burnt patches where he hit them, but only until they were destroyed.  
>It didn't take long for him to move along the cliffside to eliminate the last of the Nobodies, driving back the assault until the all-clear came. He calmed himself until the scales had returned to their normal state once more, then turned back to the hotel.<br>Almost as soon as he entered, one of the staff seemed to practically glide across the floor to meet him.  
>"Welcome back sir," he greeted him. "Will sir be leaving again soon?"<br>"Not after tonight. Sometime tomorrow probably."  
>"Very good sir. And will you be requiring anything else tonight?"<br>"Not for me thanks, though if Gamsworth is back you can ask him if he needs anything." He frowned for a moment then added, "Is he back, by the way?"  
>"Your companion returned to the suite some time ago, yes. Might we ask that you persuade him to be somewhat quieter sir? There have been... complaints."<br>"What is he up to now?" he sighed, starting up the stairs. He hadn't intended to direct the question to the servant still bobbing beside him.  
>"I couldn't say sir," he answered anyway. "But we would be quite grateful if he would become quieter."<br>"I'll talk with him. If I need anything I'll find someone and send them to ask."  
>"As you wish sir. Enjoy your stay."<br>Once he was certain he'd gone, Roxas started muttering complaints. In Draconic in case anyone was still listening. He didn't like this kind of treatment. He was just a normal – well, nearly normal – person. Just because he was a Wyvern Master... it didn't seem appropriate. Somehow he almost wanted to go back to the attitude he'd had back in Dragonbarrow. At least there he got no special treatment.


	13. Chapter 13

Gamsworth had been working on some kind of prototype for something. He got lost in technical terms and so much strange sounding explanations that it almost seemed like another language. Finally he accepted that it was something new, and asked him if he could keep it down a bit.  
>With that out the way, the book had been consulted about Gold Dragons. Though the contents of the book did not show it, there was a handy index in the back. Only three pages were referenced under 'Dragons, Gold' and none of them told him anything about them.<br>And so he'd set it aside, practically sank into the massive bed, and tried to ignore the periodic noises of Gamsworth at work until morning.  
>He did not normally dream, or if he did, he never remembered them. But tonight seemed to be different. He passed through areas he'd been to in his old life, walking through a part of one world to reach a different part of another. There were no scales on his arm, no fire inside. The Draconic language did not come to him first any longer. But this was only a dream.<br>Agrabah, by the gates, the dry sand swirling up around him, the baked air warming him. Through the gates to the courtyard and silence and stillness of Beast's Castle, disturbed by the familiar roar of the Beast, then on through the doors into the castle, taking him to the empty lobby of Olympus Coliseum, and from there onward to Wonderland, and the area that exited out into the mazes. The maze entrances were barred off with the familiar 'X' barricade, forcing him to continue on his one-track route.  
>Neverland, aboard the ship. Turn aside into the captain's cabin to exit into one of Halloween Town's graveyards. Then into Twilight Town, at the top of market street. The bottom led him into his room at the World that Never Was, their Kingdom Hearts shining down on everything, as if Sora had never come.<br>But the light of Kingdom Hearts was scattered before his window, creating a shimmering outline. Slowly, it faded into view, becoming the translucent Onyx Dragon that continued to evade him.  
>"<em>You seek answers," <em>it told him. _"Your friend and your memories."_  
>"Is this... real?"<br>"_Only in your dreams, Roxas. You have sought me, but I dare not appear. The one appearance I made to you before was a calculated risk. I had to force you to leave the sight of any who would see. The Gemstone Dragons are not widely known, remember."_  
>"I remember. So you came to me like this."<br>"_It was the safest way. What is it you wished to ask?"_  
>"Who are you really?"<br>"_I am not anyone you have previously known. I am merely the Dragon who watches over you, and certain others in the world you sleep in."_  
>"Why? No, wait – you're something to do with my wishes, aren't you?"<br>"_That is the power of all the Gemstone Dragons – wishes. You saw a star that related to the Great Diamond Wyrm that began our kind, a Wishing Star. You wished to have a life. The Great Diamond Wyrm found a world where you could have a life and make a difference, brought back many who you know or are related to you, and gave you that wish. I was assigned to watch over it and to intervene as I saw fit, as I do the few others who have also made wishes that brought them to the same world."_  
>"Intervene... you mean the rest of my wishes. They... came true because you made them happen."<br>The massive Onyx head dipped in acknowledgement. _"You wished for it to be so, and I chose to answer. You bore the consequences of your wishes, whether they have been good or ill. Cast out by your hometown and the cause of two forest fires, yet in the whole having caused more good than ill. Never disheartened by the negativity that comes your way, determined to find your partner no matter what... among those like you, you alone choose not to exploit your wishes. You are indeed a truly unique individual... perhaps this is why the Great Diamond Wyrm chose to gift you with the rarest of Dragonkin."_  
>The Dragon said no more, apparently waiting for a new question.<br>Roxas thought for a moment, then said, "Xion. Why don't I remember her?"  
>"<em>That question I cannot answer, nor can I grant any wish that would tell you so. You will have to look elsewhere for that – within yourself, and those related to you. The truth will always be found, no matter how deeply forgotten it lays."<em>  
>"Alright... then what about Axel? What's happening to him, and why are my scales reacting to him the way they are?"<br>"_Ah... and so we come at last to your partner. Partnerships are as unpredictable as hearts. Your scales as you have discovered act as a compass that you may find him, but I can tell you no more specifics – you must decipher the rest yourself."_  
>"The rest of what?"<br>"_Your scales are turning silver as you grow closer to your partner, Roxas. You know already that they are linked to him, even as you and he are linked to each other. Before you came here, he was of fire, causing him to become the red Wyvern when your wish brought him to this world and his life here, while you were of light. Were it you that had become a Dragon, you would have taken on a colour respective of that light. And yet after you turned your light into his when you battled with Maleficent, there was a great vacuum within you, filled by the fire of Axel when you made your final wish in Dragonbarrow." _The Dragon paused to allow that to sink in, then continued,_ "Do you understand, Roxas? What you have done, what it has done to you and Axel, and what you have wrought? What you have caused, and what will become of you both?"_  
>Roxas made to reply, though he had no suitable reply to make, but it was too late already. The Onyx Dragon turned away from the window, already fading back into a shimmer receding into the distance. As it passed beyond the reach of the light from Kingdom Hearts, the dream of the room faded too, leaving him to wake up to the light of the morning shining through the bedroom window.<br>"What _have_ I done?" he murmured to himself. Decipher it himself? The Dragon had worded it in such a way that it would not be easy.

Roxas had sent a bemused servant down to the kitchens to get him a simple breakfast. He'd tried to push one of the more ornate continental breakfasts on him, but Roxas held firm that no matter what was on the menu, even though he wasn't the one footing the bills, he was going to have whatever he damn well wanted. Even if it was just eggs and beans on toast, with a side order of iced water. Iced, because it cooled the fire inside a bit, making it a little easier to control. It was bad enough he was fiery when aggravated now, but to end up with a fiery temper to match?  
>Gamsworth joined him only briefly for breakfast, having little to eat himself. The servants were just as baffled by his breakfast order as they had been for Roxas's own.<br>While he was distracted by the dream with the Dragon last night, he caught enough of Gamsworth's mostly one-sided conversation to understand he had some promising conversations the day before, and just as soon as he had an income to finance it he would stop imposing on him and the hotel. The hotel manager had been only to happy to accommodate Roxas's wish that Gamsworth was allowed to stay in the suite as long as he needed – he was their only Dragonkin visitor, after all. Sometimes their habit of practically falling over themselves for him was useful, even if he didn't like it.  
>It wasn't long later when Jack and Edgar were filled in on the previous day's discoveries, the Unversed, their leader in Vanitas, and the reason for the burst of activity. He left out the cause of the Heartless and Nobodies acting up though, not wanting them to know that his defeat of Maleficent was the real cause. All he told them was that their leader had disappeared.<br>"So what now, Roxas?" Edgar asked. "What can we do about this impending battle? Or further attacks by any Abyssal creature?"  
>"I don't know. The Dragons should be able to hold them off for now, at least. You need to keep them here though, and patrol the cliff edges – don't send them out with the larger ships, and don't send out any larger ships."<br>"But Roxas, the trade-"  
>"There is no trade as long as they're in the way. It's far too risky. If there was a Silver Dragon around, we'd be able to do more."<br>"We do have a scale from one," Jack said. "But..."  
>"I know. Xion told me. He's very old, and it wouldn't be kind on him to call him again. All I can suggest is that any Dragon that comes by, any time a Dragon leaves here for any long period of time, have them talk to any Dragons they come across, spread the word and help if they can. Even together, they won't be able to stop this, but if enough band together they should at least be able to quell them for a time, perhaps make it safer to cross."<br>"But still risky all the same," Jack guessed.  
>"It'll only stop being dangerous if a Silver Dragon of any kind comes to help. Sooner or later word will reach one, it's just a question of when."<br>"All the Metallic Dragons are Wyrms or Noble Dragons, Roxas. The Noble Dragons here are a little more friendlier than most, but most others don't like dealing with humans, and Wyrms... well..."  
>"I know. There isn't much help I can be there, either. I'm a Wyvern Master, and Dragons often treat Masters the same as they would their totem Dragons."<br>"What will you do now, Roxas?" Edgar asked. "If there is nothing else to do..."  
>"I have to find my partner. Jack... Xion's agreed to go with me to the other side of The Abyss so I can search for him, but neither of us know anything about what's there. Will you talk with the Noble Dragons here for me, and find out what to expect?"<br>"Xion already asked me for you, just after you left last night. If you follow the same route the ships do, you'll arrive in Fardesert Heights. It's a port city just like ours, on the cliffside and on the edge of Greatwyrm Desert. The place is rumoured to be the nesting grounds of choice for Wyrms, but it's unbearably hot above ground there. Beyond that... I'm afraid no one knows, Roxas."  
>"But you knew of Icicle Peak?"<br>"I've heard of it, that's all. All I can tell you about that is that it's on the other side somewhere, and it's the only known place you're guaranteed to find the Gold Dragons."  
>"What would Axel want with Gold Dragons..." Roxas wondered aloud. Both Edgar and Jack shared a look that showed how little even they knew about them. "I have to go and find out," he said eventually. "I'll pick up a few supplies before I leave, then as soon as Xion feels ready to go, we'll go."<br>"Be careful in the desert, Roxas," Jack warned. "Xion is a white Wyvern, aligned with ice."  
>"I know that, but I also know Dragonkin can confer some of their own abilities on Dragons, the same way they give them to the Dragonkin. She'll be able to borrow my resistance to the heat there. Don't worry – I'll take care of her."<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Flightfoot, it is a coincidence about Kingdom Hearts and the Onyx Dragon. The appearances are explained in this chapter anyway. But on Axel and Roxas... ooh, you're sooo close I'll tell you that much - but you're still not quite right yet. You're on the right lines with that good guess though.

* * *

><p>Almost all of Roxas's worries seemed to get blown away with the air rushing past him as Xion took to the skies with him again. Though this time he had the rucksack containing his belongings on his back again, it was no different, he loved to fly, even if it did have to be with a Dragon's consent.<br>He filled Xion in on the Gemstone Dragon and the dream once they were away, this time skimming over the top of the clouds instead of diving down through them.  
><em>"So that's why we're all here, huh? Because you wished for it."<em>  
><em>"I didn't know my wish was going to come true!"<em> he protested. _"Besides, isn't this better? You, me and Axel, we all have Hearts now, and you two have lives again."_  
><em>"You don't hear me complaining, do you? I'm happy here. I mean, come on – who wouldn't love to fly on their own wings?"<em>  
><em>"I envy you that. I wish I could fly too."<em>  
><em>"Aren't you now?"<em>  
><em>"It's not the same though."<em>  
><em>"Why not wish for it?"<em>  
>He entertained the thought for a moment, but shook his head. <em>"I think I'm probably better off as I am, when you get right down to it. Anyway, Axel might think I don't want to be his partner any more."<em>  
><em>"If he knows you're still alive, that is."<em>  
>The comment silenced them both easily. Roxas did not want to think his best friend, his partnered dragon, did not know that he couldn't die while they were partnered. He had only the scales on his arm to track him down, and no idea what to expect but for the heat of the desert ahead, and the frost of Icicle Peak ahead.<br>After a time, Xion chanced his mood. _"You said you were back in your room when you saw the Dragon in the dream, right?"_  
><em>"Yeah. That's right, why?"<em>  
><em>"I'm just trying to understand what makes it appear. You keep telling me all you see is the outline, but I don't remember seeing anything like that."<br>"You might just have been looking the wrong way at the time. Axel could see it, and so could Gamsworth."_  
><em>"Maybe. But what makes it shift from the outline to the Dragon? Light?"<br>"I don't think so. I saw it not far from Shadowwyvern Point during the day, and it didn't seem to have any trouble keeping to an outline."_  
><em>"Alright, so maybe moonlight then? Or the light of Kingdom Hearts? You said you saw that in the dream too."<br>"I don't think we should use the dream as a reliable source, Xion. I didn't have any of the Dragonkin marks there. No scales, fire, it was just like before I met Axel. Anyway, I think it can choose how it gets seen."_  
><em>"Like a passive ability then? Like the yellow Dragons that can wrap themselves in lightning?"<em>  
><em>"I think so."<em>  
><em>"Think if I wished for it, I'd get to meet it myself?"<br>"Xion, I'm not even sure I should have told you about it in the first place – the first time I met it, it told me that Gemstone Dragons are exceptionally rare, and don't want to be found by just anyone. It asked me and Axel to keep it a secret."_  
><em>"So why tell me?"<br>"Because I trust you. Even if I still can't remember. Sounds like I trusted you before, so why shouldn't I now?"_  
><em>"You know, it's probably lucky I'm one of those who remembers the old life, Roxas. Otherwise I could have been completely different, like Vexen was."<em>  
><em>"Vexen wasn't different. He's still a jerk."<em>  
><em>"I don't think he'd have had you shot before though."<em>  
><em>"I guess not. I wonder if Saïx is here somewhere, or if he remembers?"<em>  
><em>"Never mind Saïx, what about Xemnas?"<em>  
><em>"I just had an idea."<em>  
><em>"About Xemnas?"<em>  
><em>"No, about people remembering. Who do we know that remembers?"<em>  
><em>"You, me, Naminé and Axel."<em>  
><em>"Right. And we know Xaldin, Vexen, Zexion and possibly Xigbar are all here, but don't remember."<em>  
><em>"Where're we going with this, Roxas?"<br>"Think about it for a moment, Xion. What do those who remember have in common?"_  
><em>"We both got on well with them?"<em>  
><em>"Well, with me at least. I think I remember because it was my wish that brought us here. You, Naminé and Axel remember because you've all been my friends. But the others... I can't really say I got on with them at all."<em>  
><em>"How do you explain Vanitas then? He mistook you for that Ventus."<em>  
><em>"I don't know. This Ventus could be someone who was already here. I never met any Ventus or Vanitas."<em>  
><em>"I get a strong feeling he's like us though, and Kamo agreed with me. We were discussing it when you were talking with him. Kamo reckons there's some kind of link between you and Vanitas."<em>  
><em>"How is that even possible?"<br>"I don't know." _Xion paused, then added, _"Is it just me, or is it getting really hot up here?"_  
><em>"I feel fine. Mind you-"<em>  
><em>"I know, you've got a few resistances to it. Wish I did."<em>  
><em>"Borrow mine. I read up on it before we left, any ability I know I have, I can share with my totem Dragon as long as they're also aware of it. So because we both know about my heat resistance-"<em>  
><em>"I can share in it. You know Roxas, when all this is over you and Axel should set up some kind of school to teach about Dragons."<em>  
><em>"Hey, most of what I know comes from one book, and personal experience. That's hardly enough."<em>  
><em>"You know far more than Jack does," <em>she pointed out.  
><em>"The book's got a section on notable Dragonkin. There are Dragonkin in there who undoubtedly know way more than me. Like the Wyrm Master Liessanna – she was the de facto know-it-all when it came to Wyrms. Had a green Wyrm as her partner."<em>  
><em>"Green? I've never met a green Dragon before. What do they do?"<br>"Plant life, mostly. According to the book, the two went around restoring places that had suffered blights and such. Just their passing through was enough to make even the most heavily salted soil become fertile enough for bumper crops for years afterwards."_  
><em>"Impressive ability. I'll bet she never went hungry. Just plant a few seeds and you've got an instant fruit tree or something."<em>  
><em>"I know, right? Shame there aren't many green Dragons around any more. The book isn't dated, so I can't tell how old it is, but even it said they're one of the most endangered colours."<em>  
><em>"Wonder what happened to them?"<em>  
><em>"It doesn't say. Does say that the purple Dragons really are extinct. All I can find out about them is that they were the opposite of the green – poisons, killing things... one purple Wyrm could undo anything a green Wyrm could do just by passing through."<em>  
><em>"Maybe that's what happened down in The Abyss."<em>  
><em>"I think that's more natural. I mean, with all the layers of clouds there, it doesn't get much light, I couldn't see any rivers or water at all... I guess where rivers go over the edge of the cliffs, they must fall down, but my guess is something happens to that water before it gets down to the bottom."<em>  
><em>"How do you figure that?"<em>  
><em>"Simple – if there wasn't anything, surely The Abyss would have filled up, at least part way by now? The ground down there was totally dry though."<em>  
><em>"What happens to the rain that falls there then? And what about the water on the top of the cliffs, surely that would run out sooner or later?"<br>"Hey, I don't pretend to be a geologist, Xion. I just work with what I know."_  
><em>"Oh yeah? Well what does that ahead tell you?"<br>_Roxas looked up. The cliff edge ahead was well-worn sand, with a near continuous fall of sand into The Abyss were the seemingly interminable desert went right up to the edge. Nestling in some yellow rocks, totally free of sand was a town that was made from the same yellow stone. Or perhaps had been carved from it, as there seemed to be no discernible chinks or lines that would define bricks or pieces of stone.  
><em>"Fardesert Heights,"<em> Roxas said. _"It looks like we've arrived. Want a rest before we go on?"_  
><em>"You bet. And a long drink. A very long drink."<em>

"Here we are, young master. Oldhollow Crags."  
>Sora roused himself from his doze, looking down the hill to the massive sprawl of the double-city below.<br>"Looks a bit shabby in the outside bit," he remarked.  
>"That's where the lower class live," the driver of this caravan said dismissively. "Have you seen the inner city?"<br>"Impressive. But the outer one definitely detracts from it. Something ought to be done about that."  
>"You might want to keep those views to yourself while you're there, young master. The locals don't take kindly to people telling them what to do."<br>"I guess. What's that over there?" he gestured to a curious structure that was being build by the cliffside, in the outer city. There were a lot of pipes to it – in a way, it reminded him of Hollow Bastion.  
>"That's new," the driver said. "That wasn't there last time I came this way. In the outer city too... I suppose whoever's building it couldn't get planning permission in the inner city for it, whatever it is."<br>Someone at the head of their caravan convoy flowed from the back of a caravan to a nearby horse, turning to ride up towards them.  
>"The organizer says you need to stay alert, Sora," the rider said. "Sometimes the residents in the outer city try to assault the caravans. Obviously, since you're paying for your passage by protecting us, you can't let that happen."<br>"I guess I can't weasel out of my agreements, no matter how much I dislike it. I'll keep you safe to the inner city, but I'll leave you there. I've got my own business to attend to."  
>"Once we're in the inner city, we'll have no trouble at all, believe me."<br>Sora found his misgivings about defending the convoy were well warranted as they drew closer. As usual, he was perched on top of the caravan to get a better view of the surrounds. It seemed some of the residents had the same idea, keeping a lookout for the caravans in return. Once they were spotted, it wasn't long before several gatherings had appeared on the main thoroughfare.  
>There were other mercenaries that would guard the caravan. They fought for the money, not for ideals or morals. They wouldn't have a problem fending off something like this. He did though. They looked half starved, desperate. The sort of thing you'd expect to see in a disaster area for the worst off people in any world. He wanted to side with them, and give them the supplies the caravans were carrying – anyone could see they needed it.<br>But he wasn't one to break an agreement, and though his heart wasn't really in it, he joined them in pushing back the crowds. He refused to use the Keyblade or resort to actual harm, but made up for it by worked extra hard at keeping them off the caravans nearby.  
>The malnourishment of these locals made up for the numbers they brought, making it somewhat easier to hold them off. Despite this, the other mercenaries cut down anyone who got too close to them without a second thought. He tried not to notice the bodies they passed from the mercenaries further up the convoy.<br>The city's guards at the gates between the squalor of the outer city and the splendour of the inner city seemed to understand the situation at hand, allowing the convoy to fully pass through before being searched, permits examined and such. When one of the guards came nearby, Sora stopped him.  
>"Excuse me a moment," he said.<br>"Yes? What is it?"  
>"I'm looking for a friend of mine, and I was told he'd come here. Do you know if he's come through? His name is Roxas."<br>"Roxas? You are friends with the great Dragonkin Roxas?" The guard seemed taken aback by his statement.  
>"Uh... yeah. We're... sort of related actually, but we go with friends to make it easier."<br>"Related?" the guard breathed, then shook himself to regain his composure. "Follow this street to the cliffside. The Dragonkin is staying in the hotel on the left, the Frostling Hotel. If he's not in, they'll let you stay until he returns. The manager has been quite generous for the Dragonkin and his friends, I'm sure it'll be no different for you."  
>"Thanks."<br>Great Dragonkin? What had he done to earn _that_ title?


	15. Chapter 15

Greatwyrm Desert seemed not only interminable, but nearly unbearably hot to ordinary travellers. High in the air it was only a little cooler, but Roxas's natural resistance to heat would have made it bearable for him and Xion to cross even on foot. It was warmer for them, no doubt about it, but hardly on the levels that anyone else should or would have experienced.  
>After their brief stay in Fardesert Heights, they'd taken to the air again, leaving the desert settlement retreating rapidly into the distance. Now there was nothing but sand, cacti and dunes. Barely any landmarks to go by, and little to while away the time with. Several times he'd caught himself on the verge of wishing for something to happen. There was no risk of losing sight of their goal; the scales on his arm continued to direct them. But to use a wish simply because he was bored... that was the kind of wish that had started all this in the first place.<br>Taking care not to lose his grip on either Xion or his bag, he swung it off his back and around. Hidden in a fold near the bottom was a concealed zip that allowed direct access to the hidden compartment in the base of the bag, where the book on Dragons was concealed. It had been stolen from Dragonbarrow's one and only official library, and was simply entitled 'Dragons'. The only book he'd ever found anywhere in any library that had ever mentioned Dragons, and in the acquired memories for his past in this life he knew he'd been to every library in Dragonbarrow in search of any book about them, even story books when he was younger. Most of the books on the shelves back in his room had contained stories with dragons, but they were no help.  
>He was a Dragonkin, and anyone born a Dragonkin would naturally have special affinities for Dragons. The typical stories were about the Big Bad Dragon that was set on by the Brave Knight in Shining Armour and slain to the inevitable cheers of whatever mythical town or royalty there happened to be, and as a Dragonkin, he'd looked on this with distaste. Dragons had never actually been known to kidnap princesses – how would they even get one in the first place? True, some Dragons had been known to menace towns, just look at Maleficent. But Maleficent had been the town's minister for several centuries because Dragonbarrow's Senate decided they could do better under her. They had, but at the cost of the monthly sacrifice.<br>Roxas might have had an affinity for Dragons, but some things just went too far. He couldn't allow that to continue, and with Axel's help had done something about it. He hadn't counted on the town's attitude though – after years of paying the sacrifice, Dragons and Dragonkin were not looked on favourably, even after removing that sacrifice. Once the truth had come out and they'd discovered it had been the Minister too...  
>That was why he'd left Dragonbarrow. That, and when Vexen had ordered a score of watchmen to shoot him, Axel had thought him dead and rapidly left. No Dragon would want to stay in a place with that kind of attitude.<br>Roxas brought his mind back from this reminiscing as he brought the book out, turning to the section that had most recently held his attention: 'Notable Dragons and Dragonkin'.  
>This section in turn had been split into several further sections, one for the few Wyverns considered worth note, the next for Noble Dragons, followed naturally by the Wyrms, and finally the Dragonkin.<br>Each of these subsections gave a short list of names in each section, allowing for an at a glance list of each of the notables. The Dragonkin were his interest right now. There were several names listed, but one name stuck out on it's own: 'Wyrm Master Ventus and Wyrm Eraqus'  
>Vanitas had mentioned Ventus. It seemed they were both at least a part of this world's history, but was that because of his wish, or had they been here before? And what was Ventus's relation to him? Maybe the piece on him would yield some hint at this, or at least the connections between them.<p>

_Wyrm Masters are not rare among the minority of the Dragonkin, but a Partnered Wyrm Master is such an uncommon occurrence that such a feat is in itself a notable event. Perhaps more notable is a Dragonkin with a natural element of their own, strong enough to manifest with one's partner.  
>The Wyrm Master Ventus proved to be a truly notable Dragonkin in many ways. The silver Wyrm Eraqus was the one who extended the offer of partnership to him, rather than the reverse that more often takes place, and with this partnership it soon became clear that Master Ventus shared many traits only otherwise seen in the grey Dragons of Air. This was seen at the times when their partnership was closest by a power normally only granted to Master Dragonkin by the grey Noble Dragons – flight. A Wyrm above ground is a rare sight, but a Wyrm granted flight is a truly unique experience.<br>Master Ventus was originally born to the town of Dragonbarrow, though details of his parentage have never been discovered, and there exist no records of his birth – a rare occurrence in Dragonbarrow, where the local Senate passed laws that require all newborns to be examined for the single-scale marker of a Dragonkin. Rumours exist that suggest he descends from one of the last Ministers of the town before their disappearance, but no truths have been found to confirm this.  
>His early life was spent from an orphanage, but could hardly be considered a bad start. He performed well in school, though could not be said to be more than above-average. Despite his contrary attitude regarding Dragons, he made many friends, and by his mid teens was otherwise no different to any of them.<br>However, that changed with the arrival of a Wyrm outside Dragonbarrow. The mines and tunnels within the town were rapidly closed off, though the Wyrm paid this little attention. As all know, Wyrms will consume the seams of metals mined often without concern for humans.  
>Of all people in Dragonbarrow, only Ventus advocated negotiation with the Wyrm, insisting that it could be reasoned with if only they would open their minds and give it a fair chance. This was not well received, met with scorn and distrust. All but two of his friends abandoned him when they became aware of his determination to put the point forth, a determination that resulted in his foray into the tunnels alone in search of the Wyrm.<br>Though this action was taken in haste and not properly thought out, he did find his way to the Wyrm, which paused to consider him when detecting that he was a Master. It is unknown what passed between them in those tunnels, but it is known that the Wyrm departed Dragonbarrow at Ventus's request.  
>When Ventus returned to the surface to advise the town of this, he was once more met with the same response, ultimately leading to his abandonment of the hometown. This action too was taken rashly, and it was not long before he found himself lost beyond the reach of Dragonbarrow, and unaware of any settlements within convenient reach.<br>The Wyrm that had met him beneath Dragonbarrow then came upon him again, introducing himself as Eraqus. It offered friendship where all others had turned him aside, and explained why he had turned aside at the young boy's request. It was then that Eraqus asked him to become partnered, to travel the lands with him and do whatever good they could together.  
>The ventures of Ventus and Eraqus since then are scattered and have been difficult to gather, but it appears there were few places they did not go, and very few occasions where one did not render aid unto any place they came upon.<br>It was in the city of Oldhollow Crags they discovered Ventus's affinities for the winds, as they paused not far from the city to regard the great chasm that surrounds the land. A passing Wyvern was later asked for its account of what happened, suggesting that the two conversed for a time about the benefits and inconveniences of wings before Ventus suggested they could simply will themselves to be light enough to cross. Even the residents of the nearby city were stilled at the following sight of the great Wyrm in flight, first over their city and then across the chasm. None know what happened to them for a great time afterwards.  
>What is known is that after some ten years on whatever lay beyond the chasm they returned, though in poor condition and under attack from an unidentified black Noble Dragon. The only distinguishing mark it was known to have were the blue ears.<br>The Wyrm and his young partner flew in over the chasm not far from where they had originally departed, pursued by the Noble Dragon. It appeared that they had planned to head underground at the first possible chance, but the Noble Dragon engulfed both in a flame of deepest darkness. Neither have been seen since that incident.  
>A possibly unrelated event that followed this was the sight of a boy no older than Ventus within Oldhollow Crags, remarked by many to be resemblant of him. This newcomer appeared to care for none save himself, but perhaps most unusual about him was his first and only act within the city – to go to the precipice of the chasm and dive in. Like Ventus and Eraqus, he has not been seen since that day.<em>

Roxas thought over Ventus's story, noting the similarities to his own. Almost too many similarities to just shrug off as coincidence.  
>If this could be believed, Ventus and Vanitas had never met. So how would he know what Ventus looked like? And why had Vanitas mistaken him for Ventus? It seemed clear now that the two had been incorporated into this world with his wish, but for what reason?<br>The black Dragon Ventus had fallen foul of... it couldn't be Maleficent, not with the blue ears it was reported to have. Who could that have been, and what had they done to incur its wrath? It had come from the far side of The Abyss, so would he have to watch out for the same here?_  
>"Roxas, do you see that up ahead?"<em> Xion's voice came, distracting his thoughts. In the distance he could see the top of a great peak coming over the horizon. He glanced to his scales, which still aligned with it._  
>"That could be Icicle Peak. Axel's this way, at least."<br>"Not that. In the desert, by the oasis."_  
>Roxas quickly stowed the book away, returning the bag to his back so he could see ahead better. A small desert oasis was not far ahead, but it would have been inaccessible from the ground. A blue Wyrm had coiled up out of the ground around it, the head on the inside providing shade for the pool, and something it appeared to be watching over.<em><br>"Is that... an egg?" _ he asked hesitantly._  
>"Sure looks like it. Think we should drop in and see if there's anything we can do?"<br>"I don't know much about Dragons and eggs... but I don't think there's anything we can do."_  
>The head of the Wyrm glanced up as if hearing them, then with a roar called up to them.<em><br>"Dragonkin Roxas!" _it boomed, the formality of the Wyrm dialect more than clear._ "Come hither friend, I have need of your assistance – and you are indebted to me!"  
>"You know him?" <em>Xion murmured, starting to dive down._  
>"I think so. I think he's the one Axel got to help with the fires near Dragonbarrow caused when we defeated Maleficent. Axel told me the Wyrm decided I owed it a favour because of that."<em>


	16. Chapter 16

The blue Wyrm had indeed been the one who'd come to his aid when Dragonbarrow was threatened by the lava and fire, though they had not actually met. Axel had found the Wyrm for him while he handled the town's response to his actions.  
>Xion landed nearby, ducking down to allow Roxas to climb down to the Wyrm's back, and from there into the shade he provided with his head. Even though the egg was in the middle of the oasis, a fair sized oasis as it was, it was still clear that it was larger than he was.<br>_"We are well met, Dragonkin," _the Wyrm greeted him, though with considerably less volume than when he'd hailed them. _"I had despaired of finding any Dragon out here in the desert, but to find one and a Dragonkin is truly fortuitous. But I had thought you partnered to the red Wyvern Axel?"  
>"Something came up," <em>Roxas replied. While he spoke Draconic, the other dialects did not come to him as easily as the Wyvern one, but it seemed the Wyrm did not hold it against him. _"He left in a hurry not long after you helped, and now I'm tracking him down."  
>"May you be reunited with him soon, Dragonkin. But perhaps I may stay your course to repay a debt owed?"<br>"Sure thing. I'm guessing it has to do with this egg?"  
>"Indeed it does. My mate has charged me with watching over the egg while she finds sustenance in the great caverns beneath the desert. But she has not yet returned, and I grow concerned – it is most unlike her to leave the egg this long, and now I too must go in search of sustenance."<br>"Except you can't leave because someone has to watch the egg."  
>"That is indeed the case, Dragonkin. Thus I charge you with the safety of the egg, Dragonkin Roxas. You and the fair Wyvern that accompanies you."<br>"Gee, thanks,"_ Xion muttered. _"I was wondering when I'd get a mention."  
>"Hush,"<em> Roxas chided gently. _"He didn't mean any offence."  
>"I didn't take any. Are you sure you ought to be calling me a 'fair Wyvern' though?"<em>  
>The Wyrm laughed, though it sounded more like an earthquake. <em>"Fear not for me. My mate would understand were she to overhear such a remark, and perhaps even be persuaded to make one <em>_herself. It is your scales which tell your story for you, you see."  
>"The scales? What about my scales?"<br>"Do you not see it yourself, Roxas?" _the Wyrm asked him. _"The faint discolouration that some few of her scales show, to mark what the humans would call a blush?"  
>"Now that you mention it... I remember reading about that," <em>he murmured. _"Something about it showing up on a Dragon when they find their mate, whether they choose to tell another or not?"  
>"Roxas! You stop that right now!" <em>Xion snapped, embarrassed. He suspected had she been human, there would have been a real blush there._  
>"Don't worry," <em>Roxas told the Wyrm, trying not to grin. _"We'll keep it safe. Anything we should do?"  
>"Are you perhaps aware of the nature of these vast sands, Dragonkin?"<br>"You mean do I know they're the mating grounds of choice for Wyrms?"  
>"Ah, I see you are most knowledgeable. The grounds are labelled as such because with the shade one can provide thus, the heat of the desert is counteracted to such a degree that the egg experiences the most desirable temperature. For most Wyrms this is but a simple thing to achieve, but for some few, such as the white and blue Wyrms, we must take extra care. Thus it is that my mate and I chose to also place the egg within this oasis, for some additional cooling. Take but a few steps into the oasis friend, and observe the temperature of the surface."<em>  
>Roxas knew this was not a request made lightly – Dragon eggs were the most valuable thing to many Dragons, and they would protect them at all costs from danger. It was a sign of the trust this Wyrm showed in him that he was even permitted near it, but to touch one was exceptionally rare.<br>He left his shoes with the bag at the edge of the oasis, rolled up his pants then waded out into the oasis only to find that the egg's shell was cooler than he'd expected.  
><em>"You need it kept as close to this temperature as possible, right?"<em>  
>The Wyrm nodded again. <em>"As your partner is a red Wyvern and your companion a white Wyvern, you as a Wyvern Master are in an unparalleled position to monitor the heat of the egg. Thus I ask you, fair Wyvern, to present shade for the egg, and should Dragonkin Roxas call for a cooling breath for you to provide, or should it be too cool, ease the shade away for a time to allow the heat to return."<em>  
><em>"I owe you a favour," <em>Roxas said. _"But Xion-"  
>"You don't have to ask me, Roxas. I'm with you."<br>"Then fear not for me dear friends, for I shall return forthwith, and your debt paid!" _the Wyrm cried, then uncoiled itself to dive into the desert sand. Rumbling sounds followed him even after he'd completely vanished underground.  
>Once he was clear, Xion quickly took his place providing the egg with the shade it needed.<em><br>"I wonder if all Wyrms are like him," _Roxas mused to himself, still stood knee-deep in the water beside the egg. _"Or if it's just because of their dialect of the language."  
>"I think it's the language. How's the water?"<br>"Warm. At least it is to me. Are you alright?"  
>"I'm fine, Roxas. Looks like we don't need to be in contact for me to keep borrowing that from you." <em>She watched him for a moment, then pushed a rock into the water with her tail. _"Here. So you don't have to keep standing up."  
>"Well that's fine, but what am I going to do until he turns up?"<br>"Read your book some more? Just don't get it wet or forget about the egg, will you?"  
>"This is me you're talking to," <em>he replied, shoving the rock a bit closer to the egg. _"You really have to ask? You know what gets me though?"  
>"What's that?"<br>"If there are caverns underneath the desert, why hasn't the desert just... drained into them or something?"  
>"How should I know? Maybe the Wyrms found a way around it or something. I want to know how they find something to eat down there. Surely if most of them come here to take care of their eggs and everything, any metal seams have been eaten by now?"<br>"It's a long way down to the bottom of The Abyss,"_ he pointed out. _"Maybe their tunnels..." _he trailed off, concerned. _"If their tunnels reach all the way down to the foot of the cliffs..."  
>"All one of them has to do is tunnel out into The Abyss and there'd be an invasion route for Vanitas – or the others."<br>"Xion, are you thinking what I am?"  
>"Yeah, but I think it's too soon to worry about that. The Wyrms are probably more than a match for any Abyssal creature."<br>"You think so? Remember Larxene and her Dragon? When I was talking with Vanitas, he mentioned there was a yellow Dragon that was consumed – which suggests the Heartless, at least."  
>"If that was them, then they'd have suffered awfully from that long a fall. I don't think they'd have been in any shape to fend them off. You're probably just being too suspicious."<br>"Don't jinx us, Xion," _he warned, echoing her own frequent comment. _"I'd like to think of this as a nice rest we can take while helping him out. Cool the egg just a little, would you? It's taking a little longer than I thought to cool off by itself, and that was just from the short loss of shade."_  
>Xion gave it a brief cooling breath, the edge of which caught his own scales, sending a stabbing frost through his arm momentarily, making him flinch back. It didn't last long though, and the egg itself hid the movement from Xion's notice, but it was a reminder that he needed to be a little more careful at times like that.<br>While they waited, he re-read the entry on Ventus, this time out loud so Xion would hear too.  
><em>"That's a lot of coincidences I'm hearing there," <em>she remarked afterwards._  
>"That's what I thought too. I'm thinking there has to be some connection between me and him."<br>"Yeah, but what? And is this from this life, or the other one?"  
>"I don't know. Did you ever meet anyone called Ventus?"<br>"I overheard Xigbar mention the name once, but it sounded like he was talking about me."  
>"Why would Xigbar call you Ventus?"<br>"Roxas! Heartless, coming fast! I can keep the egg safe, but you're going to have to handle them!"_  
>He glanced behind him. From the opposite side of the egg to Xion were a group of Pureblood Heartless – Shadows and their larger brethren, the Mega and Gigas Shadow. Fewer of the larger ones, but over all there were enough to worry about.<br>Roxas quickly splashed back to the edge of the oasis and pulled the sword from the scabbard he'd left attached to the side, then moved to intercept them before they reached the egg. This sword was no Keyblade, but it would have to do.  
>As he had before, he used more of the abilities granted to him by his partner than he did the sword, but continued to engage them with it, and without a care for his own safety. They were more resistant to the sword than he'd expected, irritating him – and with it the fire rose again.<br>This time, the sword itself became surrounded with a blazing fire that should have melted it. Now it started having a more powerful effect, setting the Heartless alight with every strike. Those few that managed to get past him were swiftly caught and frozen by Xion.  
><em>"Any left?"<em> he called to her after pinning the last Shadow to the desert sands. She rose up briefly to scan the area, then shook her head.  
><em>"Looks like I was wrong," <em>she admitted. _"There must be some tunnels that they can use."  
>"Or they just flew in, like those in The Abyss did."<br>"The fair Wyvern is correct," _a familiar voice boomed, a sinkhole of sand appearing not far away. The sand hissed loudly as it sank down, only to be pushed back out again by the familiar head of the Wyrm that had entrusted them with the egg. _"Those foul creatures come up through our tunnels in an attempt to prey on our eggs. It is they who were the prey today, however. I thank you, Dragonkin Roxas."  
>"Did you find your mate?"<em> he asked, jogging alongside as the Wyrm returned to watch over the egg._  
>"It was she who found me, bidding me return here with all haste once I had eaten my fill to ensure your safety. She has been absent from here only to warn other Wyrms in the area from similar such attacks throughout the desert."<br>"Have they been any trouble for the Wyrms themselves?" _Xion asked as she moved aside to allow him to resume his watch over the egg, pausing only long enough for Roxas to retrieve his belongings._  
>"Fear not for us fair Wyvern, as we mighty Wyrms are no strangers to such attacks and have long since adapted to account for them with no small effectiveness. Thank you for your aid here today, great Dragonkin Roxas. Your debt is repaid, and you have gained many friends among the Wyrms for your generous actions in the defence of my egg. May trouble stay it's hand for you and your companion, and instead speed the journey that lays ahead of you"<em>


	17. Chapter 17

They had rested for a time at the oasis under the guard of the Wyrm before moving on. They seemed to be making little progress once back in the air above the interminable deserts, following only the directions provided by Roxas's scales. They had veered away from the immense peak in the distance for a time, but were now slowly heading back toward it again. They were still too far away to make out more than a few details of the peak itself though, even though it continued to rise up as they headed onward.  
>Eventually the heat began to fade somewhat, and the empty deserts began to give way to scrublands, though there was little difference beyond that. After a ways though, the rolling plains gave way sharply to lush grasslands with an almost neat line cutting through the landscape as if it had just been painted on, awaiting the next green brushstroke.<br>_"A green Dragon?"_ Xion wondered.  
><em>"Undoubtedly. How else could the landscape end up like this? Off to the left again," <em>he added after a glance at his scales. _"He's heading away from the peak again."_  
><em>"What is he doing?"<em>  
><em>"Beats me. You can ask him when we catch up with him."<em>  
><em>"Roxas, I can smell another Dragon."<em>  
><em>"Smell? I thought that was the Wyrms only?"<em>  
><em>"So did I, but I'm certain of it. Can't you smell it too?"<em>  
>Roxas sniffed, but nothing seemed different to him.<br>_"I got nothing, Xion. Sure you're not imagining it?"_  
><em>"If I am, I've got a bad imagination. Rotten eggs are better than this!"<em>  
><em>"Maybe you just have a more powerful sense of smell than me?"<em>  
><em>"Maybe," <em>she agreed though doubtfully.  
>After a time even he couldn't ignore the stench that reached them, but by the time he began to pick it up the source was clear. Huge swathes of land were dead, the same kind of dead the bottom of The Abyss had been. Some few bits of fungus grew, but were few and far between.<br>_"Xion, I've got an idea."_  
><em>"You're going to say but, aren't you?"<em>  
><em>"Yeah. Sorry, but... we've got to go where the smell is strongest."<em>  
><em>"Please tell me you have an explanation for this Roxas."<em>  
><em>"Simple – The Abyss didn't stink, right? So logically, if we follow the smell like a trail as it gets stronger, we'll find the source."<em>  
><em>"You had better hope we can do something about this, otherwise you owe me a very big favour for this."<em>  
><em>"Hey, just remember – if you smell it, so do I."<em>  
>Xion muttered a few complaints, but sniffed at the air, suppressed the urge to gag, then set off to follow it. Roxas tried not to breath too deeply either – rotten eggs were a long way better than this indeed.<br>The lines of dead land crossed and recrossed, but Xion followed the strongest scent, never missing a turn until there was only one line left. It passed through some farmland, the entire crops dead and the animals in the fields left in similar condition. The unfortunate humans that had been subjected to this were purple in the face, and did not look like they'd died pain-free. Quite the opposite. Roxas began to suspect he knew the cause. A glance up ahead almost confirmed it. The line of dead land was steadily continuing forward.  
><em>"A purple Wyrm," <em>Xion echoed the suspicions.  
><em>"Xion, can you freeze the ground?"<em>  
><em>"I think so, why?"<em>  
><em>"Simple – if the ground is frozen, it'll have to go around it or over it. Either way it'll come out eventually."<em>  
><em>"I am not going against a Wyrm, Roxas! Not without help!"<em>  
><em>"Is that all? Well then..."<em>  
><em>"Oh, no. Last time you did that-"<em>  
><em>"Kamo came to our rescue and got us out of trouble," <em>he finished for her. _"What's the worst that can happen?"_  
><em>"If anything happens to us because of this, I'm holding you responsible, I hope you know that. It's bad enough I have to fly you over this disgusting smell, let alone anything else you drop on us."<em>  
><em>"Yep, I know. Anything else you want to add before I go ahead and say it?"<em>  
><em>"Just get one with it, Roxas."<em>  
><em>"Alright. I wish we had some help to handle this purple Wyrm,"<em> he said clearly, watching the skies. _"And if you look to your right, you'll see the shimmering outline of my friend the Onyx Dragon," _he added after spotting it.  
><em>"I see it. But I don't see your help."<em>  
><em>"That's because you're not looking up,"<em> someone else said in flawless Noble Draconic. The titanic form of a green Noble Dragon was diving down to join them. _"Freeze the earth as Roxas suggested, Xion. It'll persuade him out of the ground."_  
><em>"Aren't you-"<em> Xion began.  
><em>"Never mind that right now," <em>Roxas cut in. _"We can handle it afterwards. Let's deal with this first."_  
>The green Dragon watched them as Xion flew on ahead of the still moving line of dead earth, setting about freezing a U shape for the Wyrm beneath to run into. The dead growth went straight in, then stopped.<br>There passed a long moment where the three watched, waiting to see what would happen next with interest, the smell already beginning to fade. Nothing happened at all, until the ground began to rumble, then a purple Wyrm burst upward from the ground with a furious roar.  
><em>"I thought so,"<em> the green Dragon murmured, then dived down and grabbed it with the talons of the rear legs. The talons pierced the scaly hide of the Wyrm, causing it to screech and try to lash out, but the green Dragon had taken hold too close to the head for it to reach. _"Xion – you must freeze the head!"_ he commanded. _"My breath is not a weapon! Roxas, you too!"_  
>Neither of them needed telling twice. He felt Xion grow cold beneath him, preparing for the coldest blast she could muster, and he did the same, though in his case the change in heat was more like a dormant volcano suddenly becoming violently active.<br>The green Dragon struggled to haul the Wyrm into the air, leaving them no time to waste. Xion got as close as she could without colliding with either Dragon or getting caught by the massive downdraft every stroke of the green Dragon's wings caused, then with a last glance to Roxas, the two both let loose twin breaths, one of ice fire. Both were white, but one was white-cold and the other white hot.  
>The Wyrm screamed again, writhing in the green Dragon's grip, but as their breaths began to weaken it finally appeared to succumb to their attack and drooped down limply.<br>_"Take its tail, Xion,"_ the Dragon told them afterwards. _"I cannot support the whole weight myself, and we dare not allow it to drop onto the ground."_  
><em>"Why not?" <em>Roxas asked.  
><em>"The taint of the dead Wyrm would permanently corrupt the ground it lay on. We must drop it into The Abyss – there is a crevasse not far from here we may drop it in."<em>  
><em>"But The Abyss... what about those down there?"<em>  
><em>"They are not truly alive, and will not be affected by it. Please, hurry! I cannot hold it much longer without assistance!"<em>  
>Xion took hold too now. Though he was only a rider, he could tell it was just as much of a struggle for her to lift even this part of the Wyrm's great weight, but the load on the green Dragon was lessened enough that it became manageable.<br>The two coordinated together to fly it over a part of The Abyss that came part way inland, caused by an immense waterfall eroding away at the ground. They headed out over The Abyss a ways, then the massive Dragon nodded, giving the signal to let go.  
>The Wyrm appeared to hang motionless in the air for a few moments after they both let go, seemingly weightless before it dropped. There was a long silence afterwards. No Dragon was killed lightly.<br>_"Alright,"_ Xion said afterwards. _"Now tell me honestly... are you who I think you are?"_  
><em>"I imagine I cannot hide it any longer. A fitting element given who I was before, don't you think?"<em>  
><em>"Marluxia?" <em>Roxas asked curiously. _"You remember?"_  
><em>"Apparently so. The same cannot be said of other members, however. You two are the second and third I've met that recall."<em>  
><em>"Second and... that means you've seen Axel, right?"<br>"How did you know?"_  
><em>"I'm partnered with him,"<em> Roxas replied. _"We're trying to find him."_  
><em>"You and Axel,"<em> Marluxia repeated with a faint laugh. _"I suppose it is a fitting partnership. Yes, I saw him. He keeps trying to scale Icicle Peak, only to have to turn back when the ice grows too much for him."_  
><em>"Is he alright?"<em>  
><em>"That depends on your definition of 'alright'. In partnering with him, you may have caused something better left undone."<em>  
><em>"What do you mean?"<em>  
><em>"When you partnered with him... did he change at all?"<em>  
>Roxas thought back to the time, then recalled exactly what Marluxia meant.<br>_"The scales down his back... they turned white."_  
><em>"White? Are you certain, Roxas? Think carefully now."<em>  
><em>"They were... silvery white, I think."<em>  
><em>"Exactly."<em>  
><em>"I don't follow," <em>he confessed.  
><em>"I do,"<em> Xion said. _"You and me, when we were in the Organization, our element was Light. Here in this world, that's the realm of the silver Dragons, and the metallic Dragons are only Wyrms or Noble Dragons normally. When you partnered, some of your light found its way into Axel, and his fire into you, causing that change."_  
><em>"Did you share a moment where the two of you were close enough to hear each other think?" <em>Marluxia asked.  
><em>"Yeah – when we were fighting Maleficent. I gave him my light so we could counter her darkness."<em>  
><em>"Think about what you have just said, Roxas. Do you know what you've caused now?"<em>  
>Roxas thought, and realised. Everything the Onyx Dragon had said clicked into place.<br>_"I've reversed it, haven't I? I'm the one with the fire element now, and he's got the light, making him..."_ he trailed off, awed.  
><em>"The first silver Wyvern,"<em> Marluxia finished. _"But the reversal will not be complete until the two of you reunite. You must reach him before he makes too many attempts up the peak, Roxas. The sheer cold of the ice cannot be withstood by any red Dragon for long, and if he continues to attempt it while you are in close proximity it could harm both of you."_  
><em>"We should go, Roxas,"<em> Xion told him insistently. _"The sooner the better."_  
><em>"What will you do, Marluxia?" <em>he asked.  
><em>"I will repair the damage caused by that Wyrm. I've been following it for some time, trying to devise a means to finish it, but as a green Dragon my breath will do nothing but restore the earth below."<em>  
><em>"So you'll breath on the land to set it back how it's meant to be?"<br>"Exactly. Once I am done, I'll come and find you. Unless you don't want me to."_  
><em>"Nonsense. Why wouldn't we want you to?" <em>Marluxia nodded, then headed off after the trail of dead ground. _"He's become one massive Dragon,"_ Roxas remarked once he'd gone. _"I don't think I've ever seen any Dragon bigger than him."_  
><em>"The silver Dragon that helped out the Crags was bigger, but he was much older. We should go."<em>  
><em>"Why are you telling me? It's not like I'm the one with the wings, remember. Let's go see Axel before he does anything stupid... like hurt me because of that peak."<em>


	18. Chapter 18

The peak almost filled the horizon now, and they were still a fair distance away from it. What they had thought was the peak from afar had actually turned out to be a mass of clouds surrounding it, concealing the true peak from view. If there were gold Dragons up there, no one would be able to see them through it.  
>Xion had tried to fly high enough to see over the clouds, but the chill in the air had grown too much for Roxas to handle – even Xion's own resistances to the cold couldn't help him after a time. Having his own fire made him annoyingly susceptible to the cold. Icicle Peak would be a real challenge if they had to go up it after Axel.<br>They barely paid any attention to the ground flying past beneath them. The landscape here was unusually flat, leaving them with few obstructions and no need for deviations unless Axel started moving again.  
>Roxas's scales were nearly all silver now, with only a few of them left in their original red. Any movement he made caused the orange marker line to move a great deal now they were this close. It wouldn't be long before he found his partner at last.<br>Then, he realized, they would have the silver Dragon they needed to quell the Abyssal activity, and with it, Vanitas. What would become of any that remained of any of the three kinds? Without Maleficent commanding them, both Heartless and Nobody had descended on Vanitas and his Unversed. Would they continue that? And what would the Unversed themselves do? He'd already caused this very activity by defeating Maleficent... what would he cause this time?  
>Maybe he could reason with Vanitas. He appeared to be human, at least. But what did he actually want? He'd not been very specific, and had even made the veiled threat of coming after Roxas for causing the others to descend on him and the Unversed.<br>Then of course, there was still Ventus. Surely someone had to know something about him. Maybe he and Axel would go back to Dragonbarrow to find out what was in the official library on him. Worrying about getting permission to go in wouldn't be much of a problem, not if they remembered the last time anyone there had gotten in his way. And of course, he'd pay a call on Naminé while he was there. He had promised her, after all, a promise that he'd almost totally forgotten during all the excitement from the events he'd been caught up in, and a promise that left him with a sudden guilt when he recalled it. What had been happening to her, back in Dragonbarrow?_  
>"Roxas, look at the peak,"<em> Xion called up to him. _"There's a Dragon trying to scale it."_  
><em>"Can you see what colour and kind?"<em> he answered, his stomach settling in a cold knot that had nothing to do with the temperature.  
><em>"It's a Wyvern,"<em> she confirmed. _"Can't quite make out the colour. The light's reflecting off its scales too brilliantly."_  
><em>"Silver,"<em> Roxas said without an iota of doubt. _"Only a silver Dragon would have that effect with the light unless it had learned to control the effect. I remember reading about it."_  
><em>"Think it could be..."<em> she echoed the thoughts already starting to bother him.  
><em>"The scales point right for him,"<em> he told her after he swung that arm out experimentally. The orange line had reappeared and oriented directly on to the rising Dragon. _"After him, Xion."_  
>Xion gave several great flaps to gain height, then dived down as low to the ground as she dared to pick up speed. The slipstream of air buffeting Roxas was so powerful it tore a trench in the ground beneath her as she went along, the sound lost to the rushing air. Roxas focused on the blinding light of the rising Dragon, squinting to protect his eyes, watching as it made its way up the peak.<br>The base of the massive peak was fully in view now, and it was clear that the Dragon had made considerable progress already. Roxas mentally broke the visible part of the peak down into quarters, the first one cleared almost as soon as he'd guessed where it would be.  
>The arm with the scales started to shiver, breaking out in goosebumps where it was still skin, and starting to frost over where the arm had the scales. He lay low, then let go with his other hand to feel the scales, and then back to Xion. Even Xion was warmer than his scales were. There wasn't any room for doubt in his mind now, that Dragon was Axel.<br>Axel passed Roxas's mental half-way marking just as they started up the peak themselves, gaining on him but starting to slow as they regained height.  
><em>"Can you get his attention from here?"<em> he yelled down to Xion.  
><em>"Unlikely,"<em> she answered, having to roar to be heard. _"I've heard stories about this peak anyway – some say the roar of any Dragon will anger the great golden Dragons above."_  
><em>"Right now, if that's what it takes to get Axel to turn around, I'm willing to chance it!"<em>  
><em>"Are you certain it really is him?"<em>  
><em>"Feel this,"<em> he replied, touching the frost-covered scales against her own.  
><em>"You're freezing, and coming from me that's really something!"<em>  
><em>"Exactly – the scales are reacting to him. Remember what Marluxia said?"<em>  
><em>"If he stays too close... Roxas, are you-"<em>  
><em>"No, I'm not hurt yet. We really need to get him to turn around though, any more and my scales are going to be encased in ice!"<em>  
>Xion did everything she could to gain on Axel, but he was already far ahead of them, not far from the three-quarter mark now. The next mark after that would be where the clouds began. It was unlikely he'd be able to withstand the cold that high up, with or without Xion.<br>They were gaining on him fast though, already half way up behind him and closing. Maybe they wouldn't need to follow him into the clouds. Maybe he wouldn't need to worry about the cold.  
>Then as hope began to close on certainty, Axel disappeared into them.<br>_"Here goes,"_ Xion said, then let loose a roar that felt as if it shook the whole world around him, calling to Axel and to the gold Dragons for either of them to come to her. For a long time, there was no response until a second roar reached them.  
><em>"Who dares call upon us?"<em> it boomed, the clouds around the peak spreading as if pushed by this voice. _"What foolhardy Dragon has the nerve to speak unto us without our leave?"_  
>Another sharp pain stabbed into Roxas's scales, causing him to groan, <em>"Down, Xion. I can't handle this."<em>  
><em>"But Axel!"<em> she protested.  
><em>"Have to go down. Too cold."<em>  
>Xion obliged turning away from the peak in a shallow dive. The skies above rumbled as if thunder were gathering, but their pristine whiteness suggested there was no such thunder to be heard. Something else was up there.<br>_"Roxas, look up and quickly!"_  
>A single white light had broken a hole in the clouds, falling rapidly. It was hard to tell through the light, but it appeared to be-<br>_"A Wyvern... Axel!"_ Roxas exclaimed certain of what he was seeing._ "I've got to get to him, Xion. There has to be something I can do if I'm closer."_  
><em>"Like what?"<em>  
><em>"I don't know! Maybe something will happen because he's my partner. I have to try!"<em>  
><em>"You're crazy,"<em> she accused, but reoriented on him. _"What about your scales – do they point to him?"_  
><em>"Not a thing since they froze over. I won't know until we reach him. If we don't hurry, who knows what will happen to the two of us when he hits the ground!"<em>  
><em>"Roxas, I'm exhausted. I can barely keep us up."<em>  
><em>"Then allow me!"<em> Marluxia told them, rising up past them, then returning down alongside. _"I wouldn't do this for just anyone,Roxas – especially not a Wyvern Master. But I can fly faster than Xion can, and she can land safely and rest. Climb on."_  
><em>"Marluxia, are you really-"<em> he began, but Marluxia interrupted.  
><em>"Hurry, Roxas! This is no time to be questioning me! The fate of your partner lies in the balance!"<em>  
>Marluxia flew underneath Xion, just off to one side so he could drop down onto his neck.<br>_"Good luck, Roxas,"_ Xion told him as he started to swing himself over her neck. He held on tight, looking to Marluxia below and trying to sum up courage enough to let himself drop. He knew he couldn't spare any time, and so let go after just a moments hesitation.  
>There seemed like a few moments where he was totally weightless in the air before gravity caught and he dropped down, but it felt like an eternity passed before he landed heavily on Marluxia's own neck. Like all other Dragons, there were twin protuberances for him to hold on to, though further apart.<br>_"Welcome aboard,"_ Marluxia greeted him. _"Ever been the rider of a Noble Dragon before?"_  
><em>"Take a wild guess,"<em> he replied, starting to feel weakened. _"Would you mind if we cut the small talk and just reached him before it's too late?"_  
>Marluxia dived forward, and the wind rushed past him even stronger than it had before, causing his cheeks to ripple back from the force of the air. It tugged at him, threatening to pull him off, but he maintained his grip and focused on what he was certain was Axel.<br>_"Do you know what you plan to do?"_ Marluxia asked him.  
><em>"No,"<em> he admitted. _"But there has to be something. Maybe if I can get on him-"_  
><em>"While he's falling? Xion's right, you're crazy. If you can't do anything, you could both end up crashing into the ground!"<em>  
><em>"I have to try, Marluxia. I have to do something. He's my partner."<em>  
><em>"He's not dead, Roxas! So long as one of you stays alive, the other can't die, don't you know that?"<em>  
><em>"Of course I know that! But if there's something I can do, I'm going to do it!"<em>  
>Their argument was cut off by a roar from Xion far below, warning them of a pursuit. Roxas glanced under one arm to look behind them.<br>_"What do you see?"_ Marluxia asked in concern.  
><em>"Company. There's a gold Noble Dragon on our tail, gaining fast."<em>  
><em>"How fast?"<em>  
><em>"I reckon we have a few minutes before you can ask it yourself. Can we reach Axel in time?"<em>  
><em>"It's possible, but you won't have long,"<em> he warned. _"Roxas, I'd feel better about this if you knew what you were doing. I'm not going to stop you, but..."_  
><em>"Trust me, Marluxia. I might not know what to do, but I'm certain I have to do this."<em>  
>Marluxia merely nodded, continuing after the falling Axel. The air rushing around him seemed to become almost visible, streaking around and past them, buffeting them as Marluxia started to dive down as close as he dared. With his larger size and mass, they would overtake Axel – and the ground wasn't far away. He'd only get one chance at this.<br>Roxas let go with one hand as they approached, then the other, using his legs to keep himself on Marluxia until they drew close with Axel's own head. He was able to grab hold right behind the head and pull himself onto Axel's head. This close, it was clearly obvious that Axel was no longer a red Wyvern.  
><em>"Good luck, Roxas,"<em> Marluxia called to him, angling upward sharply to avoid crashing into the ground himself.  
><em>"I think I'm going to need it,"<em> he muttered, then shouted, _"Come on Axel, wake up!"_  
>There was no reaction. He tried pounding on Axel's head, but all that achieved was a sore fist. Then he looked up to see how long he had left, and wished he hadn't.<br>_"Oh, bug-"_


	19. Chapter 19

For a few moments, everything had gone black and silent. There had been no more rushing wind, no sound of hitting the ground, just an empty silence.  
>Then Twilight Town formed around him, deserted and without any of the signature smells that usually accompanied it. But it was definitely Twilight Town. A tram passed along the nearby route, seeming to leave a short blurry trail behind it as it passed. Roxas brought a hand up in front of him, seeing a similar trail left behind it, and a further trail when he turned his hand over to examine it. There were scales on his arm, now fully silver, but with a faint golden haze hanging over them.<br>He looked around the familiar town from where he was stood, then spotted someone sat on the top of the clock tower. No sooner had he thought of the view from there, he was stood there, facing that view. He turned the corner, seeing someone who looked like Axel, but wearing more normal clothes instead of the black coat, and with silvery hair in place of the red that he usually had.  
>"Axel?" he murmured, his voice seeming to distort the air nearby.<br>"Hey Roxas," Axel nodded to him. An ice cream appeared in his hand. "Care to join me?"  
>"What's going on here?" he asked, taking the offered ice cream as he sat down beside him.<br>"Beats me." He laughed, then almost to himself muttered, "I haven't looked like this for years. I haven't _felt_ like this for years. It's good having a heart again."  
>"Why were you trying to go up Icicle Peak, Axel?"<br>Axel looked over at to him at last, waiting for the blur to fade before he answered. "You don't know?"  
>"I've got a few ideas. But I want to be sure."<br>"Vexen killed you, Roxas. I watched it happen. No one could have survived that many shots, let alone the fall you took. I thought you were already here, and I'd..."  
>"Died too? When you fell out of the skies at Icicle Peak and hit the ground?"<br>"How did you know? Been watching, huh?"  
>"You forgot something about Dragonkin and partners, Axel. As long as one of us is alive, the other can't die."<br>"Really? Never knew that. But if we're both here... what did you do, Roxas?"  
>"Xion and Marluxia both helped me reach you. We saw you falling, and I had some idea that if I could get to you, there was something I could do... except I think we hit the ground before I could do anything."<br>"So we both hit the ground and died together. Nice going, Roxas."  
>"I guess I should have listened to Marluxia. He said I should have stayed clear so we'd both survive."<br>"It wouldn't have made much difference. You changed me, you know."  
>"Yeah, I know. The world's first silver Wyvern."<br>"Yeah. But the bad thing about it is that if we're close by each other, what gets one of us can affect the other."  
>"I couldn't just leave you, Axel. You're my partner."<br>"I know. I would have done the same in your place. The question is... what happens now?"  
>They sat for a time in silence, eating the ice creams. They seemed never-ending, replenishing themselves just by thinking about it.<br>"You know, I think I solved a little mystery along the way," Roxas said eventually.  
>"Which one was that?"<br>"Why we're here. Why some of my wishes kept coming true, and who that Onyx Dragon was. Actually, he's kind of the answer to the mystery. Turns out I made a wish that got heard, and he got assigned to look after it. Every time I made a wish, he made it happen."  
>"Think you could wish us out of this?"<br>"I dunno. Worth a try I guess. If we're both dead though..."  
>"Hey, can't hurt to try, can it?"<br>He took another bite from the ice cream, then put a hand on Axel's shoulder. "Here goes then. I wish we were alive again."  
>They waited, then, "I don't think it worked," Axel sighed. "Oh well. At least we still got the ice cream, huh?"<br>"Wait a moment. Don't you hear that?" Roxas asked, frowning as he concentrated. "It's so faint..."  
>"Well shut up then and we'll both be able to hear it," Axel told him, then he too listened.<br>At first it seemed like it was just a faint breeze, but none of the trees that could be seen were moving at all, not even a slight blurry trail of movement around them. It started to grow stronger though, whipping up a breeze until it sounded more like-  
>"Dragonbreath," Roxas breathed, coming to a realization. "Axel, why were you looking for a gold Dragon? I know you thought I was dead, but what could they do?"<br>"I remember hearing stories that a gold Dragon's breath could revive... the dead..." he finished in awe. "You think Xion convinced one do to that for us?"  
>"One way to find out," Roxas replied. "Wait and see what happens."<br>The breeze became a gale, the sound of the dragonbreath growing ever louder until the unseen, phantom wind became so strong that it seemed to pull Twilight Town away from under them, leaving them floating in darkness that was no longer silent.

Roxas groaned, aching all over, and feeling like he'd broken every bone in his body then had them put back together again but kept the pain from it. The sound of dragonbreath filled his ears for a few moments before it faded, taking the pain with it.  
>Experimentally, he pushed himself up on one arm, then the other. Both shook a little under the weight, as if the muscles were exhausted, but supported him. He looked up and around to see what had happened.<br>There was a silver Wyvern in front of him, not yet awake. He'd come into contact with Axel just before they'd hit the ground, completing their reversal. Now he was the one with the fire, and Axel with light.  
>Around him lay a mass of ruined earth, almost like a small crater around the two of them. On the lip above perched three dragons, and behind them a fourth. On his left was a white Wyvern. His mind sluggishly caught up and reminded him it was Xion, then that the green dragon on his right was Marluxia. Opposite him, beyond Axel was a golden Noble Dragon, standing proud and even taller than Marluxia had, its eyes a deep ruby red that seemed focused on him. The blue Dragon he recognised now as the Wyrm he'd helped back in the desert.<br>He had a sense there was someone behind him, and carefully twisted to look, not trusting himself to get up yet. The onyx Dragon that had been the guardian of his wishes sat looking on just as the other three did.  
>Then Axel moved slightly nearby, one eye cracking open to peer around, spotting Roxas.<em><br>"Welcome back, partner,"_ Roxas grinned. _"Long time no see, huh?"_  
><em>"There are worse people to see after coming back from the dead,"<em> Axel answered with a chuckle. _"But how did we get back?"_  
><em>"I did it," <em>the gold Dragon said. _"Your friends here were most persuasive."_  
><em>"Persuasive?"<em> Xion snorted. _"We practically bullied you into it."_  
>Roxas headed that off before it got started, holding up one hand to get their attention. <em>"I think I speak for Axel too when I say thank you... all of you. I'm sorry I was reckless enough to cause this."<em>  
><em>"Don't take all the blame," <em>Axel sighed. _"Someone should have told me you weren't dead before I left Dragonbarrow."_  
><em>"The trait is not as well known as it appears," <em>the gold Dragon informed him. _"Few Dragonkin are even aware their partner has the power to thwart death."_ Then it refocused on Roxas again and continued, _"Dragonkin, you have brought about momentous events. There has not been a Wyvern of the metallic family in the entire history of the Dragons. No one can tell what will happen because of this, or if your partner will be the only __such Wyvern. But so you shall not be forgotten, this impact mark will remain here untouched and will henceforth be known as the Silver Wyvern's Crater. Know this however, and be warned – in bringing you back, there are consequences that must be born. I may not reveal these consequences to you, but rest assured they will be found. May your breath be ever strong,"_ he told them in a parting platitude, then with a few wing beats he was airborne and heading back up the great peak that had been behind him.  
><em>"I know one,"<em> the onyx Dragon spoke at last as the gold Dragon left. _"I was told by Father – the Great Diamond Wyrm. I am no longer allowed to answer your wishes Roxas. Through what you have wrought here, now the two of you together shape your own destiny. Wishes cannot play any part in that any longer. I have others whose wishes I must attend to... so I must depart. Hail and farewell, Dragonkin Roxas and great Wyvern Axel! May our paths cross again in the future!"_ he boomed, then he took off, fading into the familiar outline as he receded into the distance.  
><em>"Well, since we are all learning many new things today, perhaps I too can add another?"<em> the blue Wyrm asked, looking around at them curiously.  
><em>"Please tell me you're kidding me,"<em> Axel laughed. _"I know that voice. You found me back when I was looking for help in Dragonbarrow. You said you had nothing to hide back then, so what's new now?"_  
><em>"Indeed I did. And I did say that. But I believe it is now time for me to say it at last. I think the only reason none of you has recognised me before is because the Draconic tongue masks my true disposition. Come now, guess,"<em> he added after their blank looks. _"Who else would I be, that you had all thought gone?"_  
>"<em>Demyx?"<em> Roxas guessed. _"It is you, isn't it! Now I get it – we didn't recognise you because of the Wyrm dialect; you didn't sound like yourself because of the way it comes out!"_  
><em>"Ah, at last someone has unmasked me. I had thought none would find out."<em> He turned to Marluxia and said, _"A fitting colour for you, I think."_  
><em>"I thought so too,"<em> Marluxia agreed. _"Has anyone seen Larxene, by the way?"_  
><em>"The Heartless in the bottom of The Abyss claimed her,"<em> Xion supplied. _"She didn't remember anyway. I think we're the only ones that do remember."_  
><em>"And Naminé,"<em> Roxas added. _"Speaking of which, do you feel up to a flight Axel? I sort of promised her I'd make my way back to visit her after I practically got run out of town."_  
><em>"Give me a break, Roxas. That's a huge distance."<em>  
><em>"We'll take it in stages then,"<em> Xion told him. _"We'll stop at Fardesert Heights for a rest before we cross The Abyss, then go on over to Oldhollow Crags. I'll leave you there, I want to talk with Kamo anyway."_  
><em>"Kamo? Who's Kamo?"<em>  
><em>"A white Noble Dragon with a crush on her,"<em> Roxas supplied. _"Why don't we get underway, and I'll tell you all about it on the way?"_  
><em>"Ah, count me out for now,"<em> Demyx said. _"I must return back to the egg I guard in the desert before my mate grows too impatient. Once our young has hatched, we will all come and find you back on the other side."_  
><em>"I guess that just leaves the three of us," <em>Marluxia murmured as Demyx left them. _"I'll join you, at least. The four of us can make our way back to Dragonbarrow together, leaving Xion with her mate to be in the Crags along the way."_  
><em>"I wish you'd all stop that,"<em> Xion complained. _"It's not like it's set in stone or anything. Anyway, he's only fifty, and I'm a hundred and two. In this life, anyway."_  
><em>"So? Any Dragon can see you've got an interest in <em>someone._" _Marluxia pointed out. _"If it's not him, then who is it?"_  
>Xion just took off without another word, looking back only to wait for them to catch up.<br>_"Just like old times,"_ Axel murmured to Roxas as he climbed on behind his head.


	20. Chapter 20

It felt good to be flying with Axel again. Maybe it was just their partnership, but there was something about it that made it somehow better than all the other flights he'd taken.  
><em>"You know, there's one thing I almost completely forgot about,"<em> Roxas told them. _"Before I met Xion, I stopped by this place called Shadowwyvern Point. According to local legends, they had a Wyvern there once. Except a Dragonkin came along, and it left. I told them I'd come and have a look for it as well."_  
><em>"Did you happen to catch what colour it was?"<em> Marluxia asked.  
><em>"I don't think so, why?"<em>  
><em>"I met a grey Wyvern some time ago. Someone we used to know, actually – Luxord. He didn't remember like we do, but he said his Dragonkin had informed him of an incident on the far side of The Abyss, and that his Dragonkin was following."<em>  
><em>"Where were they headed?"<em>  
><em>"Marble Island, as I recall it. It used to be the home of the Platinum Dragons, but they are unfortunately extinct now. It's not far north from here. I can show you the way."<em>  
><em>"If the rest of you don't mind, I'm going straight on back to the Crags,"<em> Xion said. _"It's been an interesting adventure, but I really want to get back home."_  
><em>"You go on ahead,"<em> Axel told her. _"We'll catch up with you. Enjoy your boyfriend's company,"_ he added with a chuckle.  
><em>"You wait," <em> she threatened. _"Someday you'll find some nice lady Dragon to catch your own interest, and then I'll be the one poking fun at you for it."_  
><em>"Not me,"<em> Axel laughed. _"I think this is one Wyvern not likely to be finding a mate anytime soon."_  
><em>"Speak for yourself,"<em> Roxas told him. _"What're you gonna do if I meet another Wyvern Master and decide to go with her?"_  
><em>"Who says I got to go with their Wyvern, huh? I might decide to take a leaf from Xion, and go with another kind of Dragon instead."<em>  
><em>"As if one of you wasn't bad enough," <em>Marluxia sighed. _"Go on ahead, Xion. I'll take these two children to see Marble Island."_  
><em>"Children!"<em> they both objected as Axel and Marluxia veered northwards.  
><em>"You certainly act like it sometimes. How old are you, Axel?"<br>_"_Depends on if you mean this life, or the last one."_  
><em>"You know what I mean."<em>  
><em>"Not telling, then. Besides, Roxas is human-"<em>  
><em>"Mostly human,"<em> he corrected. _"And my lifespan gets extended because of you anyway."_  
><em>"Yeah, but you're still young. So he's right about you, at least."<em>  
><em>"Oh, thanks. So what does that make you, if you're not young – ancient?"<em>  
><em>"Hey, watch it partner!"<em>  
>The desert they were passing over gave way to a lush, fertile area along the banks of a great lake, fed by several rives that eventually led out of another and out into The Abyss. Though the like was immense, they were flying high enough above to see the far shores, and the island in the middle of it. It was perfectly round, made of what appeared to be black marble. There was a small, rectangular opening in the side of it facing them, but a larger one in the top – large enough that a Dragon might have had just enough room to dive down it, if they tucked their wings away. Such an act would be highly dangerous though, depending on what laid at the bottom.<br>_"There it is,"_ Marluxia confirmed. _"The entrance to the home of the Platinum Dragons. I don't know any more than that. Luxord headed this way, but whether he's down there or not I have no idea."_  
><em>"You're going to suggest finding out what's down there, aren't you?"<em> Axel said.  
><em>"Wouldn't you like to see where the Platinum Dragons lived? Even if we don't find Luxord, I bet not many people or Dragons get to see it."<em>  
><em>"I don't suppose you anyone knows what the abilities of those Dragons centred around?"<em>  
><em>"I don't think the book never mentioned them, so I couldn't say."<em>  
><em>"Rumour has it they affected both Time and Space,"<em> Marluxia said. _"If you two are planning to explore, I'll wait up here. Just be careful down there."_  
><em>"I guess there's nothing for it. Hold on tight," <em>Axel warned, though it was hardly necessary. _"We're going down."_  
>Axel kept his wings extended until the last moment, drawing them close to him as they entered the blackness of the tunnel beyond the opening. Just visible as they passed was the other side of the smaller opening, and the long, spiral staircase that wound around the outside of this downwards tunnel. There were small openings carved at regular intervals down the length of the staircase, with only a few completely open areas.<br>They picked up speed rapidly, the last of the light starting to fade, then replaced with a light glow from Axel himself. He was already learning to control the light that was his new element.  
>It seemed like an eternity later when a faint light became visible in the distance ahead of them, looking as if it was coming around a sharp corner ahead, but only a few moments before it reached them. Somehow, when they reached that corner, they were turned to head harmlessly out and into a cavern constructed of the same dark marble as the tunnel had been, but with thin pillars of some metal reflecting light around from an unknown source.<br>Axel spread his wings to slow them, perching on the top of a low marble platform. The cavern was dotted with what appeared to be normal human houses, but on a size that suggested the inhabitants had either been giants, or Dragons. But why would Dragons want to live like humans?  
>Sounds echoed through the caverns, the sound of water spraying down a fall somewhere, intermingled with a merry bubble of a stream of water, and the steady dripping of more water running off stalactites. But nowhere were there visible sources of these sounds.<br>Roxas leaned over to look down, and saw Axel was actually stood on a more normal-sized house. The entire cave's dwellings were replicated identically beneath them in a comfortable size for humans to use. Even the pathways between them were identical. Was there a significance to it?  
>Axel caught his attention, nodding toward one of the Dragon-sized houses where a flickering orange light came through a window, reflected off a nearby seam of platinum just outside. Like him, Axel seemed loathe to disturb the serenity that pervaded the place with any other sound.<br>A glance down to the smaller duplicate of the house showed that it too had a similar light source, and a similar but smaller pillar in the same place reflecting the light. The only difference was that the pillar did not reach up to the roof of the cavern, it instead cut off at the same point its larger counterpart found the ceiling, giving it an odd, truncated appearance.  
>He carefully climbed down Axel's back and then the tail to reach the house, then with a series of gestures suggested Axel investigate the larger one, while he looked into the smaller one. Axel caught the message, and cautiously picked his way along the cavern floor, trying not to disturb anything or make a sound.<br>He found himself calling the collection of residences a town without thinking about it as he too made his way through, silently finding his way to the house with the light coming from it. None of the buildings had doors or anything set in the windows, he noted. They were both little more than holes in the walls.  
>When he found the house, he glanced into the doorway from a distance to see what was inside. All that was visible was a single candle on a table, and a mirror on the far wall. Oddly, the candle burned grey, but this seemed to have no effect on the light that was reflected around the room.<br>Roxas hesitated, then glanced up to Axel. He was also looking through the doorway curiously, but moved carefully to the window to see. Roxas followed suit, peering cautiously inside, then holding back a surprised breath.  
>Sat at the table, hidden from view through the door but clearly visible here, was unmistakably Zexion. He wore a grey shirt and blue pants, something that looked out of place on him, and he was typically engrossed in a book. But it was definitely him.<br>Xion had said he didn't remember, but he had suspicions Zexion had concealed the truth – why else would he have put Nobody emblems on the walls of the Frostling Hotel back in Oldhollow Crags? Unless something had subconsciously reminded him, some part of his old life that hadn't been removed properly when he'd made the wish.  
>He moved to the door, glancing in. Zexion appeared to pay him no attention, but then put a bookmark in his book, then set it down. "Good morning, Roxas," he murmured, greeting him as if the Organization had only been yesterday. "Please, do come in."<br>"You... remember me?" Roxas asked hesitantly, taking a free chair opposite him.  
>"But of course. I've been expecting you."<br>"But... how did you know... I mean..."  
>"You want to know how it is I know you and Axel would be coming here, and no doubt how I know you are the one responsible for our appearance in this world, no?" Roxas nodded mutely, trying to keep up with this. "It is a simple matter. I came to this world myself during our time in the Organization. After I was destroyed at Castle Oblivion, I found myself here. But there were differences to my previous visit, and so I began to investigate. I found I was a Dragonkin Master, and that I had a partner in a grey Wyvern. With his aid, I made special visits to many places, among them your home of Dragonbarrow. You weren't aware I saw you, but I noticed you."<br>"Why didn't you say anything?"  
>"I couldn't be sure if you remembered or not. As a Dragonkin yourself, you exhibited the interest in Dragons that others here do not share, which made it difficult to tell if it was those traits influencing your actions, or simply your previous existance. When you defeated Maleficent, my Wyvern partner advised me it would be unwise to remain in the region for much longer. Unlike yourself and Axel, he and I have not gone around helping others, so our presence would have been suspicious near to a town like Dragonbarrow."<br>"Wait a moment. Isn't your Dragon..."  
>"The one that departed Shadowwyvern Point, yes. The Dragonkin that had him leave the town many years before was in actual fact one of the last platinum Dragons in disguise. He told the Wyvern many things, which have in turn been passed on to me. That Dragon, and sadly the last of the platinum Dragons are no more, but here in this cavern of theirs some few of their effects remain. For example, I came here only a week ago to the outside world, but in here a month has passed."<br>"Time and space," Roxas said, remembering Marluxia's words. "Their area of influence."  
>"Precisely."<br>"But why wait for me here?"  
>"Among the information the platinum Dragon imparted to my Wyvern, who I might add is most likely having a similar discussion with Axel in the larger counterpart of this house, was the knowledge that you would, sooner or later, die. And that following your death, you would find your way here. I had previously thought this meant what was left behind after death would come, but I see now I was mistaken."<br>"Xion bullied a gold Dragon into reviving us," he explained. "But that doesn't answer the question – you knew we'd come here, but why be here?"  
>"Because, Roxas, you had to come here before Luxord and I could return to the outside world. If we had not come here, then Marluxia would not have directed you here, and so neither he or I would be found. In being here, you have found us, and can make good on your promises to return me to Oldhollow Crags, and Luxord to his previous place at Shadowwyvern Point."<br>"Won't he object to being separated from you?"  
>"Why would he? In this world's past, he came to an agreement with the villages a long time before your life here started, before this world thought you were born even. Their village gets a great deal of sunlight, and the forests diminish any cooling winds that try to reach there. He agreed to solve that for them, providing the shadow for the town and a cooling wind. In return, the would leave him unmolested despite their otherwise unwelcoming attitude toward Dragons, and warn others away from him. During the hours of the night, it is only a short distance for him to fly to the Crags to see me."<br>"You could have just said no, Zexion," Roxas sighed. "You don't have to keep going into all that detail."  
>"If I hadn't provided it, you would have asked anyway," he shrugged. "Now, why don't we see our respective Dragons? I'm quite interested to see what Axel looks like after your influence on him."<br>"You don't know?"  
>"Know what?"<br>"He's... well, he used to be red, with a line of silver scales down his back after I partnered with him, but... I kinda gave him my light and got his fire in return."  
>"Creating a silver Wyvern. Very interesting. I didn't know this, no. But I remain interested all the same. Shall we go?"<p> 


	21. Chapter 21

The house where Axel was in discussion with Luxord was not an entirely perfect replica. For one thing, there were numerous additions to make it easier for visiting humans to get around, such as stairs that wrapped around the legs of the table that led up to the top of them. As neither Wyvern had noticed them enter, they were both surprised by the appearance of their respective Dragonkin.  
><em>"Did you finish explaining?"<em> Luxord asked Zexion.  
>"Of course," he replied, apparently not bothering with Draconic. "And you?"<br>_"We were just catching up. Or rather, I was hearing about what I used to be like."_  
>"I thought we agreed we weren't going to look into that?"<br>_"Can you blame a Wyvern for being curious? Besides, what else am I supposed to do with only bits of memories? I want to know the full story."_  
>"Another time, perhaps. It is time we departed, old friend. Our task here is finished. I am certain you and Axel can continue your discussion during the flight back."<br>_"Nice to see you too,"_ Axel muttered. _"You haven't changed a bit, you know that?"_  
>"Of course I've changed," Zexion replied, unruffled. "I gained a heart again, and more besides. I must say, for a Wyvern you've become quite impressive. Were I the one in Roxas's place..."<br>"No need to go into that," Roxas cut him off. "There's no way to change your partnerships, and in any case... we ought to be getting back. Marluxia's waiting for us on the surface, and Xion in Oldhollow Crags."  
><em>"And Naminé back in Dragonbarrow,"<em> Axel added.  
>"Naminé?" Zexion murmured, surprised. "Naminé is here too?"<br>"Is that really so surprising?"  
>"No... but it is most curious. It appears that everyone brought here by your wish was, in their prior existance, destroyed of denied existance in some form. Though I can only conjecture based on available evidence, it would appear that both you and her chose to reunite with your original personas, thus denying you existance."<br>"And... this is useful?"  
>"Perhaps. Have you encountered any others along the way? Any who do not fit that guideline?"<br>_"Ventus,"_ Axel murmured. _"You and Xion mentioned him to me earlier. And that Vanitas too."_  
>"Ventus," Zexion nodded. "I remember the boy. But he should not be here. Are you sure it was him you met?"<br>"I didn't exactly meet him... Vanitas mentioned him to me. Mistook me for him, actually."  
>"I see... and who did this Vanitas look like?"<br>"Sora, why- no, wait. How did you know..."  
>"I had suspicions. I believe we will have to make a detour into The Abyss on our way back."<br>_"Zexion, that could take hours!"_ Luxord objected. _"We should go to the Crags first."_  
>"And do what? The longer we leave this Vanitas to run unchecked, the more dangerous he may become. We must deal with him before the opportunity passes."<br>"What will happen if we do?" Roxas asked. "The Unversed, and the Heartless and Nobodies – what'll happen to them?"  
>"The Unversed are extensions of Vanitas, and will disappear with him. Is there some problem with that?"<br>"Yeah, it means the Heartless and Nobodies will be free to attack cliffside settlements with impunity, that's what. I've already caused enough trouble with them once, I don't want to cause more."  
><em>"Trouble?"<em> Axel asked. _"You didn't tell me about this."_  
>"Eh, well, Maleficent was commanding both of them until you and I defeated her. That left them free to pursue their own goals, which was to descend on the Unversed, so Vanitas was kinda annoyed with me for causing that. I don't want to be responsible for putting everyone on either side of The Abyss in danger."<br>_"Travel around,"_ Luxord suggested. _"When Zexion and I met the platinum Dragon, he said I would have to pass that on when the time came. I think this is that time. Axel's light is _the_ weapon of choice against Heartless and Nobodies. All you need do is travel along the cliffsides and quell any major activity. Sooner or later they'll take so many losses they'll have to move somewhere else."_  
>"I kinda wanted to settle down and have a nice, quiet life after this," Roxas grumbled. "Go back to Dragonbarrow with Naminé and get some peace again."<br>"Dragonkin seldom get any peace, you'll soon discover," Zexion told him. "But we've spent enough time here. We will make the detour into The Abyss with Marluxia, if he is willing to accompany us, and deal with Vanitas before we go on to the Crags."  
><em>"Then I will accompany you to Shadowwyvern Point before you go on alone to Dragonbarrow,"<em> Luxord added.  
><em>"Then we get to go chasing the last of the Abyssal creatures,"<em> Axel finished. _"Can't a Wyvern catch a break around here?"_  
><em>"You're a special, one of a kind Wyvern now, Axel. I doubt you and Roxas will see much peace now just because of that, let alone anything The Abyss throws at you."<em>  
>"He's right. But now it is time for us all to leave. I would appreciate it if you would allow Luxord and I to depart first, and give us time to exit before you follow. We will explain to Marluxia while we wait for you on the surface."<p>

Sora watched as the Nobodies stopped in their tracks, drawing back from him and looking around in puzzlement. He'd have gone after them, but needed the support from the crude mud house he was leaning on to regain his breath after all the Nobody slaying he'd been doing.  
>Then almost at once, they all headed back out over the immense chasm and dived back down. Some few Heartless were visible above the clouds, looking somehow lost, then they too followed.<br>This was odd behaviour even for them, he noted. Normally neither would pass up the chance to attack him just for having his Keyblade.  
>"They've found something more important to see too," a familiar voice murmured beside him.<br>"Your Majesty? What are you doing here?"  
>"You know, I wish you and Riku would remember to use my name," Mickey complained absently. "Anyway, I came to find out why all the Heartless and Nobodies came here. Somethings been drawing them all here, but I can't figure out what. I'm guessing there's something down there that they don't want us to see."<br>"Yeah, but what? With both you and I here, surely they'd focus on us, right?"  
>"Depends if they're being commanded or not, Sora. Who knows what might be controlling them, and what the goal behind that might be? Have ya found a way down there yet?"<br>"We could dive off," he suggested half-heartedly. "Or there's always the Dragons. I dunno if they'd let us though."  
>"Can't hurt to ask. C'mon, Sora. Let's find someone who can tell us."<p>

Marluxia had indeed agreed to go with them down into The Abyss, citing a personal interest that he had to fulfil there. He gave no elaboration, though Zexion and Luxord both appeared to understand.  
>Now he was heading back down into the depths through the various layers of clouds, only this time it was with Axel, and with two Dragons accompanying him. And this time it was to defeat Vanitas, not find out what lay below. Maybe if the Heartless started to catch on, he and Axel wouldn't have to travel so much and they could both enjoy a more peaceful life, despite Zexion's comments to the contrary.<br>Unlike his previous visit, no old 'friends' came to stop him, and none of the Abyssal creatures showed up either. Axel put it down to his new light element, which was brightening up the gloom between the clouds in the deeper parts nicely. It was also having an effect on the cloudbanks they passed through, each one becoming noticeably lighter as they passed through them, periodic gaps appearing in them. They were no longer massive, solid banks of clouds, but had begun to resemble normal clouds. Occasionally a shaft of light caught these new gaps at just the right time to illuminate Axel and replenish the light he used up just keeping things visible for them all.  
>When they emerged out into the lowest part of The Abyss however, there was a significant difference. Unversed, Heartless and Nobody alike stood side by side in one amassed crowd, not fighting each other but stood waiting. They were facing the opposite way to the Dragons and their riders, so they turned around and made for the head of the crowd.<br>It seemed to go on interminably. Not a single Heartless made a move for them, no Nobody even looked at them, even the Unversed made no reaction at all. As they continued to fly over the heads of this unnatural gathering, more Heartless and Nobodies came down from higher up in The Abyss, taking places among all the others.  
><em>"I don't like this,"<em> Marluxia said. _"I've got a bad feeling about it."_  
><em>"You're not the only one,"<em> Luxord agreed. _"There's something in the air that doesn't seem right."_  
>"I recognise it too," Zexion added. "I've picked it up before. There's something very dark here."<br>_"You've got the right company then,"_ Axel remarked. _"Roxas and I are perfect for handling this."_  
>"Don't be overconfident, Axel. We don't know what you're up against yet."<br>"I assume if we wind up having to take on anything down here, we can count on your help?" Roxas asked them.  
><em>"In case you've forgotten, my breath is not a weapon,"<em> Marluxia pointed out. _"But you have my assistance, Roxas. If there is something I can do to aid you, then I will do everything I can to do so."_  
><em>"Zexion and I are ready to help you, Dragonkin,"<em> Luxord told him. _"Right Zexion?"_  
>"I wish you wouldn't make assumptions for me," Zexion muttered. "But yes, we too will also lend you our power. But the majority of anything that happens will be down to the two of you. I wish you best of luck if something does break out."<br>_"I think we might need it. Look up at the head of this crowd,"_ Axel said.  
>There was a massive black Noble Dragon waiting for them, watching them intently with amber eyes. Roxas recognised it from the description he'd read – with the blue ears it had, this could only be the Dragon that had engulfed Ventus and Eraqus in a dark flame in this world, and possibly created Vanitas in doing so.<br>Seated just behind its head was Vanitas himself, his peculiar helmet retracted to show Sora's features as they had been the last time Roxas had seen Vanitas. This time, Vanitas showed more emotion than he had before, with a look that clearly emphasized the three words he mouthed to them.  
>"Bring it on."<p> 


	22. Chapter 22

There was something more familiar about the black Dragon than just the description Roxas had read. Something about it that suggested he'd met it before, and in the prior life too. It watched him, focused seemingly on him alone with amber eyes.  
>They flew on over the gathered Abyssal creatures below, cautiously avoiding the taller ones in case they decided to lash out.<br>No such caution appeared necessary until they got closer. With a guttural roar as the signal, the Unversed in the crowed below began to rise up into the air around them to attack. Marluxia was forced to slam into the attacking Unversed, or snap his barbed tail at them with considerable accuracy, the rest of the Dragons among them employed similar tactics but with broad, sweeping breaths. Roxas joined in this too, sending fire into the crowds as if he too were a Dragon, while Zexion appeared to have retained his former skill with magic.  
>Axel's breath was still the most effective weapon they had though, carving great paths through the flocking Unversed. When a shaft of light made it down from above, he made for it as soon as he could, taking in the light from it, amplifying it and then reflecting it outward to cause wide-scale losses, even to the unresponsive Heartless and Nobodies.<br>With a second roar, the Nobodies joined the fray. The weaker but more numerous kinds did not engage them directly, instead they flocked up to the clouds to cover the gaps in the cloudbank above, blocking off the light that Axel had used to so devastate the ranks below.  
>Still Vanitas and the black Dragon watched, and still they focused on him. Roxas caught the strong feeling he had not only met the Dragon in the old life, but clashed with him. And that meant the chances were he was a member of the Organization he had not gotten on well with. But who was left that they hadn't met yet?<br>Axel turned quickly to answer a call from Marluxia, who was being swarmed easily as he had no breath attack. It forced him to take hold quickly, scattering his thoughts. As Axel banked hard to turn sharply, he also leaned over and started breathing fire over the Heartless that were still below, and any Nobody or Unversed that got too close.  
>The ground below began to rumble, growing louder. Even from the air it appeared to be shaking. An earthquake perhaps? But earthquakes were rare even on the top of the cliffs, surely if there was one down here it'd be felt up there?<br>Then a part of the ground dropped down slightly and he realized it was not an earthquake, but a Wyrm joining them. As the ground opened to a sinkhole, the Heartless on it scattered, ignoring the control over them to save themselves. Water sprayed out of the sinkhole like a massive geyser, then it was blocked, held back long enough by the blue Wyrm emerging from it. Demyx had come to help them too.  
>For the first time in centuries, the floor of The Abyss felt water. Despite the sheer numbers of Abyssal creatures attacking them, even without the Heartless joining in yet, Marluxia took the time to begin breathing his own breath over some of the higher ground, causing it to burst into life. Where his breath touched on Axel's own, the effect was amplified massively, spreading the effect outwards for a short time as if the natural growth of decades was happening in mere moments.<br>A third roar came from the black Dragon, and at last the Heartless rose up like a swarm of angry bees. Like the Nobodies, the weaker of them attempted to keep the light from above from reaching Axel, apparently knowing the devastating effects it could have.  
>Still the black Dragon watched, and Vanitas was clearly smirking at him. There were too many Abyssal creatures between them for Axel to reach them easily. It was an effort enough for them to hold off what was around them.<br>Roxas locked eyes with the dragon, and realized. He knew who this dragon was now. There was only one member of the Organization this could be. He was the last member to fall before Xemnas, the last one he himself had fought before Riku had taken him back to reunite with Sora.  
>Two more roars shattered the air now, this time from above. Though Saïx continued to watch him, Vanitas jerked his head up sharply to scan the skies. There was nothing there – yet.<br>Luxord and Zexion gave Marluxia another helping hand, keeping the Abyssal population around him down by blowing them toward him and Axel, who in turn engulfed them in fire and light respectively.  
>There were several crashing sounds, like that of glass shattering. Now even Saïx's attention was taken off him as everyone looked to a small area between all of them. Shards of ice littered an empty area. Then several massive chunks of ice dropped down into the area, an Abyssal creature encased in each. When the chunks hit the ground they shattered, the shards of ice finishing off any creature that had managed to survive the force of the impact.<br>Roxas looked up and saw the source of the ice. Two white Dragons were on the outside of the swarm, one a Noble Dragon, the other a Wyvern. Roxas recognised them – Xion and Kamo had come to their aid, but perhaps more surprising than this sight were that each of them bore riders, holding on tightly. Just behind Xion's head was none other than Sora himself, and Kamo was ferrying King Mickey. Roxas had never met the King, but knew of him through Sora.  
>The two Dragons dived down low, alighting on two raised crags in the floor to allow their passengers to disembark, then returned to the skies to join their own fight. Sora and Mickey pulled out their Keyblades and joined in, the call of two Keyblades this close starting to break the control Saïx and Vanitas had over the creatures. The swarm split in two now, part still held under their control, but the rest focusing on their unexpected land-bound allies.<br>"_Axel,"_ Roxas called sharply. _"There's a gap in the swarm – we have to take advantage of it while it lasts!"  
><em>Axel didn't bother to reply, already heading for it even as he continued to attack the creatures around them. Vanitas and Saïx had been distracted, but soon noticed them coming and started toward them.  
>"Why don't you give up?" Vanitas shouted at him. "Make it easier on yourself!"<br>"Get real!" Roxas retorted. "Look at who's winning!" Then to Saïx, _"Think you're ready for round two, Saïx?"  
><em>Saïx just gave a shattering roar, emphasized by a blast of dark breath. Well, keeping himself from going berserk in a fight had hardly been one of his best points, and having a heart here probably only made it harder.  
>Axel pulled up to avoid the darkness, giving a brief breath of light at the clouds above, trying to open a hole for light to shine down through. None came, and he was forced to dive aside as Saïx attempted to ram him. A short sharp breath of light at his back made him give a piercing screech.<br>Luxord apparently noticed what was going on, and without bothering to consult Zexion he whipped up a gale that blew the clouds aside, not just down here but further up in The Abyss too. Light flooded down, touching the floor of The Abyss and the new life Marluxia was still creating there for the first time. Demyx continued to work with him around handling the creatures, creating lakes where the ground had large dips, carving paths for rivers to run, all of them supplied by the still spewing geyser he had arrived by.  
>Both Sora and Mickey continued to fight off the creatures themselves, though they were driven back by the sheer numbers of their attackers. As they fell back, they had to continually keep watch on the fresh plant life rapidly growing around him. Sora once found himself suddenly higher up, and had to scramble back down the newly sprouted Willow Tree that had grown underneath him.<br>Then Luxord's efforts reached Roxas and Axel, the clouds blown away and the light allowed through like a great bright curtain. As soon as it caught Axel, he took in as much as he could, reflecting it back out at the creatures, but focusing most of it at Vanitas and Axel. Roxas shielded his eyes from the brightness, blinking in the following glare, peering around to try and see what had happened. There were considerably fewer creatures, but there was no Saïx and no Vanitas.  
>Something slammed into Axel from the side unexpectedly, separating him from his partner and going tumbling to the ground. Axel gave a harsh snarl as he recovered, spotted Saïx and then headed straight for him. He stayed within the light to collect as much as he could, then sent it out in one searingly bright beam toward Saïx.<br>Roxas meanwhile was surrounded by the various creates of The Abyss. His rucksack had fallen to the ground not far away, and until he reached it to retrieve his sword from it, he was unarmed.  
>Unarmed, but not at risk. He incinerated several Sniper Nobodies that had been driven toward him by an Invisible Heartless, ducked under a the arm of a Darkside that had made a swipe for him, then punched a nearby Unversed that looked like some kind of ape on steroids. The fire inside him flared as he hit it, causing his fists to burst into flames when he hit it. The Unversed reeled back from the first and second blows, then vanished after the third one.<br>This gave him a clear route to his rucksack and the sword in the scabbard strapped to it. A clear but long route. There was no time to spare, so he made a sprint for it.  
>At the edge of his vision he was aware of Vanitas running to intercept him, the strange weapon he'd wielded during their first meeting in his hand. If he went against Vanitas unarmed, he'd be in trouble.<br>Vanitas made it first, standing between Roxas and the rucksack. His helmet was once again retracted, showing him breathing heavily from the exertion.  
>"End of the line, Roxas," he managed. "Surrender and I'll spare you."<br>"I don't know the meaning of surrender," Roxas replied defiantly, then throwing caution to the wind he charged at Vanitas. He showed momentary surprise at this, then raised his weapon quickly to block the fist heading for him. The force of the impact caused him to drop the weapon, evening the odds. Now Vanitas was unarmed as well, and at a disadvantage. Even if he was a Dragonkin, it was unlikely he was like Roxas and showed an element of his own.  
>The sword was forgotten about now, he just focused on Vanitas, letting rage fuel the fire inside, and that in turn keep him raining blazing blows, landing them with almost measured precision. Vanitas stumbled back from them every time.<br>Axel retreated from the fight with Saïx for a moment, returning to the still growing lighter area. Saïx's attempts to keep Axel from the light had taken their fight distant from that of the others, most of whom were focused on the last of the Abyssal creatures. The Nobodies were clearly dwindling in numbers now, and the Unversed were not far behind. Every time he hurt Vanitas, a few more of them ceased to exist. All of them focused on him now, ignoring any attackers.  
>Axel pulled in light once more, and unleashed it, focused on Saïx. Roxas fell back a ways in case Vanitas tried anything, covering his eyes again to protect them from the following light. When it cleared again, Vanitas was gone, and so was his sword.<br>There was no sign of him anywhere he could see, so turned – and got stabbed. Vanitas had used his own sword on him. The fires inside dulled down as he stared at it, a strange smile coming to his face. Vanitas stepped back, seeming to be almost afraid because his surprise attack seemed to have made no difference.  
>Roxas gingerly touched the blade, feeling it move slightly inside him and wincing. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. Then he took hold of it and tugged it out of him. There was blood on it, and of course on his clothes, but he was still alive – no one had made a similar attack on Axel, so he'd been protected from that effect.<br>He cleaned off the blade, laughing to himself, causing Vanitas to turn and flee, picking up his weapon on the way only to find Demyx move to block his path. Roxas didn't bother to hurry after him, which only seemed to unnerve him even more. He frantically attacked Demyx with his own weapon, but the blows just bounced off his scaly hide.  
>A glance up told him Axel had almost finished his own battle. He rammed Saïx from the side, sending him into one of the cliffsides nearby. Saïx did not get up this time, seemingly resigned to his fate again as a breath of light engulfed him. He had gone when it cleared, confirming Roxas's suspicions. Vanitas was not a Dragonkin.<br>There were only Unversed left now, and even they were fleeing the area in reaction to what their master was feeling. All others had been wiped out, and so all the others were focused now on their original target. Sora and Mickey were helped up onto Demyx's back so they could see better, while Demyx continued to coil around, closing the circle around them so Vanitas could not escape.  
>"What was it you said to me?" Roxas asked him when he finally cornered Vanitas. "End of the line, wasn't it? Surrender and I'll spare you? I'd make you the same offer, but you've caused too much trouble."<br>"What about you?" he answered, eyes flicking around for some kind of escape. "If you hadn't defeated Maleficent at Dragonbarrow, the others wouldn't have attacked us. They wouldn't have had to go elsewhere to create more of them, and I wouldn't have had to create more Unversed. None of this would have happened."  
>"It's true, I caused it originally. But that just means I should be the one to rectify that mistake. And that means finishing you."<br>Vanitas's expression hardened, seeming to lose the desperation and fear that had been there before, and he once again stood ready to fight. Roxas responded in kind, this time with his own sword.  
>The two fought again, neither one giving up an inch. Several times one of the others moved to help, but another warned them back from it. Axel stopped Xion, Mickey did Sora, and then Zexion snapped at them to tell them all to keep out of it.<br>Vanitas was not unskilled or unprepared, and learned quickly. After a few minutes Roxas was forced to block attacks instead of making his own, and not long after that he was having trouble managing even that. He was disarmed in one swift movement that sent him to the ground, pinned up against Demyx. He willed the fire to come, but it remained calm.  
>"Roxas!" Sora called to him. "Use this!"<br>Sora sent his Keyblade spinning through the air toward them. Vanitas stepped quickly clear to avoid getting hurt, but Roxas scrambled back to his feet and snared it out of the air easily.  
>He was faintly surprised to see it did not vanish from his hand. He had thought he'd lost the ability to take up a Keyblade. In the momentary surprise Vanitas showed, he took advantage of this and, as the saying goes, fell on him like a ton of bricks. Vanitas was disarmed once more, except Roxas took up the weapon for himself. When it was Vanitas cornered again, he was his own weapon Roxas turned on him, impaling him on it. What few Unversed were still visible fleeing all vanished.<br>"Not again," Vanitas whispered, then he too faded out.


	23. Chapter 23

With the demise of Vanitas and Saïx, The Abyss lay empty of the creatures that had been in there for so long. Due to the efforts of Demyx and Marluxia during the fighting, large parts of it had burst into life again, and between Axel's passage through the cloudbanks between the top of The Abyss and the wind that Luxord had whipped up for them, light streamed down with only a thin layer of clouds at the very top of The Abyss, far distant from them on the lush floor.  
><em>"Roxas, would you mind if I borrowed Axel from you for a bit?"<em> Marluxia asked.  
><em>"Sure thing, but what for?"<br>"During the fight, I noticed that when my breath and his overlapped, nature grew back of its own accord at a highly accelerated rate. I'd like to take advantage of that and restore some more of The Abyss to a more lively state. If you wouldn't mind, Axel?"  
>"Why not?" <em>his partner replied. _"Coming Demyx? We'll need you to provide water for the life down here."  
>"Of course,"<em> he replied. _"I'll put out the word to some of the other Wyrms later too. There's no need to keep diverting the waterfalls that go over the cliff edges anymore. The old rivers can come back again at last."  
><em>As they left, Zexion finished translating for the benefit of Sora and Mickey, then returned to Luxord. "I believe the time has come for the two of us to make our ascent. I'll see you all in Oldhollow Crags at my hotel, and if you wish to see Luxord simply look for him at Shadowwyvern Point. Now, if you wouldn't mind, old friend?"  
>Luxord nodded, dipping his head down to allow his partner to board, then took to the air, circling upward and leaving just Xion and Kamo with them now.<br>"Roxas, would ya care to translate for us?" Mickey asked.  
>"You don't need me for that. Dragons can understand us."<br>"But we can't understand them," Sora pointed out. "Anyway, how did you get free from me?"  
>"I made a wish and it got granted. This here is my life now, just as if it had always been this way."<br>"And that silver Dragon... was that really Axel?"  
>Roxas nodded, "He used to be red, but I gave him my light, and got his fire in return. So now he's the first and only silver Wyvern. One moment, if you won't mind," he added, then turned to Xion and Kamo. For the benefit of Sora and Mickey, he spoke in common. "What do you two plan to do now?"<br>They shared a look, then Kamo said, _"Xion talked me into having a word with Jack before either of us got into anything with each other, but we decided that we're not going to let our differences set us apart."  
>"We haven't told any of the Dragons up there yet,"<em> Xion added. _"We're going to see how long it takes them to catch on now that we're not trying to pretend we're just friends. We're not going to be completely open about it of course, not yet. But maybe in time."  
><em>Roxas finished translating, then Sora asked, "What's the problem between them?"  
>"Xion's a Wyvern, Sora," he explained. "And Kamo's a Noble Dragon. Normally, Dragons don't mate with Dragons that aren't the same kind as them, but they've decided they're going to ignore that."<br>"Well good for them," Mickey said approvingly "I give ya both my best wishes for the future."  
>"Will you be sticking around?" Roxas asked the two Dragons then.<br>_"If you think you can persuade Marluxia to take them up with you, or Axel doesn't mind carrying more than one person," _Xion replied. _"Otherwise we'll stick around to wait for you to come on up."  
><em>"Why don't you two take them on ahead?" Roxas suggested after translating again. "I'll meet you up at the hotel."  
>"That Frostling Hotel?" Sora asked. "They let me stay there in these really ornate rooms when I said I was related to you, by the way."<br>"Yeah, the manager of the place was practically falling over himself to be extra kind to me because I'm the first Dragonkin to stay there. If you discount Zexion himself that is, since he owns the place. I don't think he ever told them about that though. You two go on ahead. I'll be along as soon as Marluxia's finished with Axel."  
>Mickey held back as Sora climbed back up behind Xion's head.<br>"I'm glad I got ta meet you, Roxas," he said, holding out one hand. "Sora and Riku both told me about you, but I never got to see you myself."  
>Roxas took the hand, then said, "Go on. I'll see you later up in Oldhollow Crags."<br>"Actually, would ya excuse me? I gotta get back to my castle before I'm missed. But I'll try to stop by sometime if I can."  
>"Of course. I'll make apologies for you to the others."<br>Mickey nodded then ran up Kamo's back, as he was too short to climb up the same way Sora had.  
>Xion gave him a wink, then the two Dragons started back up toward the top of The Abyss, and its now lone layer of clouds. Even that wasn't as thick as it had once been.<br>Roxas made his way to the same Oak tree Sora had been temporarily stuck up and sat against it to wait. Maybe now that natural life was being restored down here, some bright spark in one of the cliffside ports would find a way to send their sky-sailing ships up and down The Abyss, and then in turn people would come to live here.  
>Then again, maybe it was better that there were no others here, at least for now. The natural life here was undisturbed except for a few last signs from their fight, and even those were rapidly being erased by the after effects of the accelerated growth Axel's breath had lent to Marluxia's own. No one would believe this had ever looked like the wasteland he'd seen before, not after seeing all this.<br>At least he wouldn't have to travel around so much like Luxord had suggested. The Unversed appeared to have vanished with the demise of Vanitas, and Saïx had probably been the one commanding the Heartless and Nobodies. Without them around, none of the creatures here were bound here any longer, and so there was no longer an Abyssal threat. Even if some of them were still here, it was probably in small enough numbers that they'd be able to handle it without having to call on him and Axel.  
>That just left him to stop by and see Zexion, check on Gamsworth, then head on up to Shadowwyvern Point and tell them the news. Not just about their own Wyvern – they'd get that just by seeing Luxord return to his accustomed place on the Wyvern's Point – but that it was safe to trade over The Abyss again, the original reason he'd agreed to help them.<br>And after that... Naminé.

Two days after the restoration of The Abyss, Axel and Roxas had departed Shadowwyvern Point. They'd spent some time discussing things with Sora until he was satisfied there was nothing to worry about, and then he too had promised to stop by from time to time. Zexion had told them they were welcome to stop by and patronize his hotel any time, and Gamsworth had been given a job as the town's Chief Steamworks Engineer. He had caused a mass shortage of slaves in the city and offered jobs for any citizen whether they lived in the inner or outer city, ensuring they were equally treated and trained alongside all the others.  
>Just before they'd left Shadowwyvern Point, the news had been that the wall separating the inner city from the outer one had begun to be demolished, and extensive public works projects had been put into place to improve what had once been the outer city.<br>In Shadowwyvern Point itself, they had forgiven him for the accidental fire that had been caused, and as thanks for seeing the return of their Dragon and trading profits, were more than happy to eliminate the harsh rules when dealing with Dragonkin. Now they were welcomed just like everyone else.  
>They had promised him a place in the town's chronicles, so that future generations wouldn't forget about him and what he'd done. Already he was starting to build up the same kind of reputation that other Dragonkin mentioned in the book had garnered. He admitted he'd probably see his first century and end up even more well-known than he was right now, and being a partnered Dragonkin he'd still be around for people to see.<br>_"Roxas, wake up,"_ Axel called to him. _"We're almost at Dragonbarrow."  
>"I wasn't asleep," <em>he yawned. _"I was just resting my eyes."  
>"And I suppose the snoring was just you clearing your throat?"<br>"Obviously. I don't snore, anyway."  
>"Of course not," <em>Axel replied sceptically.  
>Roxas peered up over Axel's head to see the familiar heights of Dragonbarrow's many terraced steps going up the mountain. It was late evening, so there were a great many lights on in various windows throughout the visible part of the town, and occasionally he spotted a small orange glow that meant someone was moving around in the town itself.<br>_"Home again at last,"_ Roxas murmured. _"It feels like so long since I left."  
>"What are you going to do if they don't accept you again?"<br>"Too bad for them. I want a break from the constant travelling, and I want my own bed again. They've had time to get over it by now. But if anyone's hurt Naminé..."  
>"Easy there, Roxas. You've got to keep your feelings under control now, remember? You don't want to flare up and cause an incident once you're back."<br>"I know. Remember that huge park we landed in last time we were here?"  
>"Naturally. I guess you want me to land there again, huh?"<br>"Safest place in all of Dragonbarrow. Unless you don't mind standing on the buildings."  
>"I think I'll pass. You realize there isn't anywhere for me to stay here."<br>"I'm counting on the watch noticing us and coming to meet us once we've landed. I'm going to ask them if we can commandeer the park for you, and have them post a few guards just in case."  
><em>Axel nodded, starting his descent toward the town. Late as it was, they could already see plenty of people heading for the park, among them many watchmen trying to get their first. Axel was forced to hover above the ground because they were too close.  
>"Stand back," Roxas called down to them. "Give Axel some room!"<br>In getting clear, the watch were able to push through and hold them back. Predictably, Captain Nielen was waiting for them, grinning broadly. Not far behind him was Commander Vexen, who did not seem as pleased to see him.  
>Once they'd landed, Axel gave a great yawn, then curled up after Roxas jumped down to meet them.<br>"Welcome home, Roxas," Nielen greeted him with a massive bear hug.  
>"Guess you missed me, huh?" Roxas breathed around the crushing arms. "Would you mind?"<br>"Sorry. It's good to see you back again. But is that really your Dragon?"  
>"Sure is. He's extra special now – the first and only silver Wyvern. There have never been any metallic-coloured Wyverns before. Now, I've got a little request for you."<br>"Only a little one?"  
>"Would you mind if Axel borrowed the park here? It's been a long flight."<br>"I can hardly say now now he's resting there, can I? I guess you want a few people left here just in case anyone still has anti-dragon thoughts?"  
>"Great minds think alike," Roxas laughed, then turned to Vexen and said, "Well?"<br>"I... apologise for my actions," he conceded grudgingly. "I hope you don't plan on staying."  
>"And what if I do, hm? I've been on the road for a long time, now I'm going to settle in and have a break again. Maybe Axel and I will go out and travel the world again sometime, but for now this is where I want to be."<br>"At the very least... stay out of trouble."  
>"Naturally. Excuse me then, everyone. I'm going to go home and see someone."<br>"You heard the man!" Nielen boomed. "Our Dragonkin is back and here to stay, so let's give him some room!"  
>Roxas smiled to himself, walking the familiar route not to his home, but to the secret hideout. No doubt he'd find Naminé there. It didn't take him long to reach it again. He found the secret key he'd buried just outside the hidden door in case he ever locked himself out, then let himself in. Thanks to Axel, he could see in the low light that Naminé had changed the room a lot. It looked tidier for one thing, and the belongings he'd left scattered around when he'd left were all neatly stored away.<br>Curled up catlike and sleeping in one chair was Naminé. He quietly moved to join her, lightly brushing aside the stray hair she'd been chewing on in her sleep. This slight touch woke her though.  
>"Am I dreaming?" she murmured, seeing him.<br>"If you are, then I must be too. It's really me."  
>She left him only a few moments before mimicking the same king of hug Nielen had given him.<br>"Welcome home, Roxas."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **And here my friends we reach the end of this particular story. Maybe in time I'll return and we'll find out what happens further on down the line, or maybe someone else will make a wish and end up here in Roxas's world of Dragons, but for now this tale is done.

And what a tale it's been, huh? Hope you've enjoyed it of course, and hope to see you again out there - after all, there's more to me than just a few stories!

Until next time!


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